


Finding Tim Drake

by Chaotic_evil_stuff



Series: Finding Tim Drake [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Adult Damian Wayne, Awkward Romance, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Continuity What Continuity, Damian dances!, Damian is a gay icon, Developing Relationship, Enemies to lovers real quick, Everyday Life, Family Bonding, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Inspired by Batman Beyond, Intercrural Sex, Jokerz gang, Lust at First Sight, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Not all Characters Listed, Occasional Light Dom/sub, Overstimulation, Relationship Issues, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Roleplay, Slice of Life, Stephanie is ThatGirl™, Top/Bottom Versatile Main Characters, Working at Wayne Enterprises, family life, no beta we die like jason
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:34:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 91
Words: 262,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24734728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotic_evil_stuff/pseuds/Chaotic_evil_stuff
Summary: Tim returns to Gotham after long time with the Titans to focus on being Tim Drake rather than Red Robin and get some of his normal life back. Damian, now 20 years old, has grown to respect and appreciate Tim in his absence. He tries his best to make Tim feel welcome again. The fresh start for both boys allows them to become more than rivals, and much more than friends too.Their relationship unfolds as their lives change for better, for worse and with new (albeit unexpected) additions to their daily life.This is part 1 of my series and is still ongoing and updated regularly, part 2 is a spin off taking place midway into this part.Smut is on separate chapters, so if you're not into that, this can be read without it and still have a cohesive story. (Although my smut writing is pretty damn good.)
Relationships: Tim Drake/Damian Wayne
Series: Finding Tim Drake [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900735
Comments: 61
Kudos: 372





	1. Giving Tim Drake a Chance

**Author's Note:**

> I'll make it clear here that this fic isn't set in any continuity and I'll cherry pick what I like and don't like about new 52, rebirth, and post crisis. 
> 
> To break it down so you go into it with some info, most of post crisis continuity happened. But with key differences. 
> 
> Barry Allen never returned, Roy never had Lian, Jim never found out that Barbara was Oracle, The new 52 teen titans series for the most part didn't happen, but Tim did have a recruitment drive in which the members were recruited. Jason didn't return after he tried to be batman, instead he retreated and only resurfaced as Wingman in Batman Inc and with the Outlaws. And the most obvious being that Tim is slightly younger, and never got adopted by Bruce. Chemo didn't get dropped on Blüdhaven during Infinite crisis, instead it was a small bomb dropped on the outskirts of Blüdhaven. 
> 
> The timeline is also streamlined liked the new 52, but not as drastically. Bruce became batman in 1996 at the age of 24 years old, damian arrived in 2010. So that gives you an idea of how the events played out given that the story starts in 2020. 
> 
> You'll see my differences explained. As for the new 52 and rebirth, assume it both happened and didn't happen until I say otherwise, and I definitely will say otherwise. I like referencing key storylines and moments. But some others will be repurposed to fit my new scenes.

* * *

It was a bright day in mid August, the rare sight of clear skies signalling that summer was at its peak. Even at it's hottest, the heat in Gotham rarely rose above 70°f, as if there was a mystic force stopping Gothamites from enjoying summer to it's fullest. The drive up to the Manor saw Tim drop the convertible roof on the Redbird and take in the breeze.

 _I can do this._ He reaffirmed himself, _Tim Drake deserves a fair shot at a life._

After a long 2 years of being a full-time Titan, it was Red Robin's turn to take a backseat. He had only been home a dozen times in those years, mostly for company galas, family events or serving as some last minute help to Batman. He never stuck around for long when he was in town, he usually left as soon as his commitment was fulfilled. It was nothing personal, just Tim's life. He loved being hounded by Stephanie to stay for drinks with the rest of the Bat girls. And he loved being roped into a catchup with Jason while they were working out. But it wasn't his home anymore, at least not his primary home. 

It was not as if Batman needed much help anymore, crime in Gotham was at an all time low. The Joker died years ago, it was a simple deal gone wrong, he tried to buy some muscle from out of town for his latest scheme, it was actaully a setup to collect on the bounty Joker had on his head. One henchman got too nervous and shot him. 

A pathetic death, the Joker probably wanted his end to be dramatic, poetic maybe even at the hands of Batman himself, but he got a sad, meaningless death, like many thought he deserved. 

Not long after that Harley Quinn gave up everything, she and Poison Ivy retired together. They were monitored 24/7 by the government, but they were happy together.

The henchman could've been hailed as a hero, but the fear of the Joker's wrath forced his hand and he took his own life. The Joker had cheated death many times before, including a gunshot to the head. 

Wayne Enterprises funded an all new Arkham Asylum, decked out with state of the art security, twice as hard to break out of, meaning it made the night job twice as easy.

Tim was hoping to catch Bruce before he left, him and Selena were taking a belated honeymoon, probably two weeks on an island somewhere. As Tim pulled up to the Manor gates he could see Bruce loading bags into the car, he hadn't missed him! He hopped out the car and pulled Bruce into a long overdue embrace.

"Man have I missed you two" Tim said though a grin. "I'm still pissed you didn't invite any of us to your last minute wedding, I could've gotten Vic to boom me over." Selena tore Bruce off him for her own bear hug. "Where are you two actually going, I've been meaning to ask but I've been driving for hours and packing was a nightmare?"

Bruce's gaze shifted from Selena to Tim, "well I've kind of decided to take a long break, me and Selena are going traveling all over the world. She hasn't seen much outside of Gotham and I suggested we use our honeymoon to see the world... For maybe six months or so"

"Six months!" Tim exclaimed "how do you explain Batman being gone for six months!"

"Gotham will be fine, the batcomputer's new AI monitors GCPD systems and will alert you if you're needed. The patrol schedule still stands. Gotham is in pretty safe hands. I've made all necessary provisions and I feel comfortable with leaving Gotham in all of your care. Barbara has kindly offered to do all the comms work when it's needed. If she texts, then she'll be on the line and ready to help." Bruce patted Tim's shoulder and tugged him into a hug again. 

This comforted Tim a little, if Batman thinks Gotham is in safe hands then who is he to think different?

"We need to leave honey, we're gonna be late for our flight." Selena interjected. 

"We won't be home for Thanksgiving, but we'll be here over Christmas before heading off again." Bruce reassured. 

With a final handshake, Bruce and Selena got in the car, Tim waved them off and turned to face the Manor. It wasn't the same Wayne Manor he knew, but it was still home. 

* * *

Tim hauled his bags in though the giant doors, banging and scraping the doorframe. The Manor was still quite full of life despite not being the buzzing hub of vigilanticism it once was. Cassandra still lived here, as did Damian. Duke was off at college but would return for the holidays. 

Tim was rudely snapped out of his thoughts by an ecstatic Cassandra Cain bounding down the stairs. "Timmy!" she screamed before tackling to the floor in a hug. "You better be staying for more than a day, I've missed you." 

"Yeah Cassie I'm here for a while." 

A deep voice echoed from the living room doorway. "That is good news. I hope you're well Timothy." Tim's startled eyes darted to the source of the voice, It was Damian that had appeared from nowhere, no doubt a trick learned expertly from his father. "I will take your possessions up and leave them outside your bedroom, if you and Cassandra would like to catch up now?"

"Ugh thanks..." Tim managed to choke out.

_Since when was Damian this pleasant? No insults, jibes or sarcastic comments? That was actually nice._

The young man promptly nodded, taking the mass of bags up in his hands with ease and made his way up the grand staircase. Tim was still processing their interaction when Cass yanked him from his headspace and it to the kitchen. They spent the next hour or so talking about everything and nothing. 

"So why now Timmy? Are you retiring?"

Tim laughed, "absolutely not Cass, I'm still Red Robin, but I'm trying to be Tim Drake first and foremost. Even if I spend my free time just lazing around the Manor, I want to just try not being a vigilante full time."

"How have you still got a job at Wayne Enterprises. You haven't been there in two years?"

"I was promised that I'd always have an office to come back to, and I've still been contributing in my free time at the tower, just over video and phone calls, I never really quit. Geniuses like me can never quit, it's not in our nature." Tim delivered this with the most smug face he could pull. 

Cass smacked him hard on his arm to stop him laughing at his own joke. "Well it seemed you had quit on family, you didn't even come home for the holidays last year." The jab was meant light heartedly but Tim still felt the guilt.

"I know Cass, I'm here to stay though, so you can get sick of me and wish me gone again in a month's time."

Cass smirked. "You might not be going anywhere, but I am tonight. Me, Steph, Kate and Barbara are going on girls night."

"That's fine with me" Tim snorted though a laugh, "it's better I steer clear of them all, I'll take the blasting about how I've been away for too long from them all individually."

"Speaking of which... " Cass got up from her chair and took their cups to the sink. "I must get ready, Jason has a VIP lounge for us with a private bar that can be used from 8pm till whenever Steph gets too drunk." 

"Jason still actually runs the Iceberg Lounge? I thought the big lady was doing it."

"He's very much the public figure these days" Cass said with a smirk "Red Hood still makes his rounds though."

With that Cassandra left Tim alone with his thoughts, _if Jason can find a work/life balance then so could he. But where do I start?_ Tim mused.

He felt a presence watching him and jerked his head defensively to see Damian's emerald eyes fixed on him. 

* * *

The breeze whipped Damian's hair, he stood holding a bunch of freshly cut roses. He took the time to escape while Cassandra and Tim were gossiping. 

"I can't be Batman, not yet!" Damian said aloud, he glanced over the garden. The apple trees bore ruby red fruit, wild flowers protruded tall from the soil. "I'm not ready, not yet. Father says I can put on my cowl any time, but I'm not Batman. That is Father's job until he is dead or retired. He hasn't said so but I know he expects me to put it on in his absence. He gave me the look."

Damian bent down to place the roses into the vase. "I will be Robin for now, nothing more than I have been for the past ten years. Though I must say, it is good to see father happy and living a life beyond his night job, something I am trying to learn to do myself. Selena makes him happy. Exactly what you wanted."

Damian brushed residue off the top of the tombstone he was perched in front of, tracing the letters. "You would have been delighted to have seen him as happy as he was this afternoon, leaving Gotham in his rear view mirror like the cliche movies Jon watches. I thought he'd never shelf Batman voluntarily."

He stood to leave. "I miss you so much Grandfather, especially on days like this when I feel so lonely." The sun dipped just below the horizon, the last glimmers of sunlight shining over the gravestone that reads: 

'Alfred Pennyworth, loving father, grandfather, confidant and friend. A true god among men'

The young man walked back to the Manor, where he found a lonesome Timothy staring intensely at the kitchen counter, lost in his head. He stopped to study Tim for a moment; he was exactly as Damian remembered him. Tim hadn't changed much, he still had a cold icy stare, his chin was still perfectly pointed. He still had a soft face, absent of stubble. His hair however had changed, not the long and unruly mess Tim had adopted, it was shorter again, like his early days of being Robin.

 _He is breathtakingly handsome._ _Absolutely beautiful_. Damian determined. _I just haven't appreciated him to this extent before. I would never make that mistake again._

His head jerked up when he realised Damian was staring, a deep blush rose on his cheeks, his neutral expression replaced with a scowl that held no conviction.

 _He looks pretty when he blushes, I must see it more often._ Damian thought. He brushed the intrusive thought away and knew even his own affection starved brain was going too far when it leered after Drake. 

Tim was never an angry person, he had always contained himself even in the most turbulent situations. It was one of the many things Damian had grown to admire about Tim. 

_He seems lonely,_ Damian observed, _perhaps tonight we can be lonely together._

There was so much he had to say to Tim, he'd waited for so long to get it out. But Damian reasoned that it could all wait a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all don't hate me for killing off Alfred. It serves a really important plot point in a few chapters time
> 
> I hope you all stick around and read the journey. I'll update every few days. This story and concept has been rattling around in my head since maybe January time and I've been planning out the first set of chapters and world for a few months or so in my spare time. The pandemic has given me time to write finally. 
> 
> In the link below is exactly how I imagine Tim Drake to look. Just add some 90's esque curtains onto this picture and it's perfect. 
> 
> https://www.comics.org/issue/172481/cover/4/


	2. Learning from a fashion icon

"No matter how much you stare at that countertop, heat vision isn't magically going to come out of your eyes Drake." Damian chucked at his own joke. Tim's weak scowl faded but he did not smile. 

"How long were you watching me?" Tim pressed.

"Not long at all, I trust you are aware of Cassandra's plans for the night? He changed the subject, avoiding the embarrassment of explaining that he was lost in Tim's looks and thinking indecently about him.

"Yeah I'm glad some of us have lives, clearly not me and you though."

Damian sighed and clicked his toungue "I have a life too Drake! Speak for yourself." He internally kicked himself, that may have sounded too mean. Tim wasn't wrong, after finishing college, Damian had done nothing but hang around the Manor, he did need a life beyond Robin.

"Perhaps we should have a boy's night tonight, so we are not left out." He used his proposal as means to steer the conversation away from his rudeness.

"Uhh okay..." Tim was confused at this olive branch, in all the years Damian had been here, he didn't see much of him. They had gotten past the murder and viciousness long ago, but they didn't see enough of each other to be friends. "What were you thinking? Movie in the home theatre?" 

"That sounds delightful, you can pick the movie and set up the theatre and I will drop Cassandra off to the ladies, I know an excellent pizza place nearby so I can cross two tasks off my list at once." Damian said this will un unusual amount of cheeriness, it was almost unsettling. 

"Damian, do you mean kill two birds with once stone?" 

Damian met his eyes with a harsh level of severity. He had long eyelashes. The deep darkness of them contrasted with his bright green eyes. They were like the colour of grass in spring, fresh and vibrant. Tim pulled from his head thoughts when the boy spoke after what seemed like minutes of just staring into each other. 

"Goodness no Drake! We are both called Robin and I'm a vegetarian! Why would I want to kill a bird. What did it do to me?" With that he left, calling up to Cass saying he'd drop her off at Barbara's. 

They were both adults now, Tim was 25 and Damian was 20. Tim became lost in thought again: _He's changed. We both have. Now is as good a time as any to start fresh._

* * *

It was harder than expected to find a movie that junior Batman would actually like. Tim hadn't a clue of what he had or hadn't seen. He settled on Star Wars, he'd let Damian pick at random which one of the 11 movies he wanted to watch.

Damian returned with two massive pizzas, he set one down in front of Tim and the other he opened all for himself, almost every vegetable imaginable piled onto his. A familiar smell filled the room. He opened the pizza box to his surprise it was his favourite: Canadian bacon, onion and artichoke.

"You remembered my favourite?" Tim asked in disbelief.

"Nobody could forget a combination that odd, Drake. So what are we watching?" 

"I was thinking Star Wars, but I'm letting you choose which one I didn't know if you'd ever seen them so you could just pick randomly..." Tim trailed off.

Damian replied immediately, not even needing to think of his answer. "Revenge of the Sith is my favourite. Debatable acting but very enjoyable." 

"I had no idea you were a fan. I thought you'd be the type to only watch documentaries on animals or coin collections" Tim smothered the smile that threatened to take over his face, he could not resist making a joke. 

Damian simply clicked his tongue at the jibe. "Star Wars is so absurd and unrealistic that I dont have to pick it apart for auntenticity like other movies, I could marathon them all." The boy scoffed to himself. "Although with all we've seen, It's not that unrealistic is it?" 

Tim popped the Blu Ray in and settled into his spot on the large sofa. Damian's eyes were glued to the screen, allowing Tim to steal glances at him unoticed. 

The man was tall now, taller than Tim's 5ft 9. Damian must be at least 6ft 1. He was broad shouldered like his father but not nearly as bulky. He was slimmer but extremely defined. Visible from his arm and shoulder muscles rippling under his shirt as he reached for slices of pizza. He had dressed down into nothing but cheap lounge pants and a tight t-shirt when he returned from his errands.

Damian had a sharp pointed jaw, a shadow of stubble running down its length, full lips pulled into a faint smile occasionally through the movie. Thick but perfectly shaped eyebrows that would rise and fall expressively in tow with his emotions.

 _He is sickeningly hot. It's unfair how fucking gorgeous he is._ Tim thought to himself jealously. 

His returned his gaze to the movie, he knew the younger boy would catch him if he looked any longer. They were near the end, unconsciously he has started to speak along with the movie, knowing the entire script from memory. 

"I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new empire" Tim mumbled robotically, lost in the flim.

"Your new empire?" the sound didn't just come from the screen, but from beside him on the sofa. They turned to face each other and erupted into laugher at their mutual nerdiness. He can't remember the last time he heard Damian laugh. The sound was musical to Tim, sweet and childish. The authenticity of the young man's laugh warmed him inside knowing he had a part in drawing it out.

They settled in again until the end of the credits. Just as Tim wast moving to pack up their rubbish, Damian spoke up as if he'd been waiting for an opening to speak.

"How do you know your place as Tim Drake? I left college months ago and I still don't know what to do with myself when I'm not Robin." 

Tim thought for a second, not really knowing how to give a genuine answer, before offering: "I guess for me it's about putting my talent to good use, you're intelligent Damian, I'm sure Bruce has said you can work at WE. What about your artistic skills, you could work in the marketing department?"

"I suppose so..." the younger man trailed off.

"Hey how about you come and work with me? You like tech and tinkering with things, it can get you used to the environment and the people, then we can go from there. I'm still figuring out who Tim Drake is so we can tackle our problems together, I start back on Monday, that gives us a few days to get you put on the system."

Damian uttered his next words timidly "I don't want to be a burden on you at work." 

Tim laughed. "You're heir to the company, you can't be a burden at a company you practically own. And I do have sway, I still own a good amount."

At that they called it a night, retiring to bed. Damian stared into the darkness, his thoughts too busy to sleep. Tim was on his mind, the gracious job offer, his open nature and willingness to give advice, his pretty face pulled into a blinding smile. Their combined laughed echoed in Damian's ears. They had never laughed like that together, it felt normal, it felt right. Maybe in a different lifetime they could've been like this all along.

* * *

Damian felt good to have a job. It was nice to feel needed again, after Robin had not been needed much for some time. He had spent all of previous week preparing, working himself up into panic, but it had been for no reason. Everyone was pleasant, if not a little too pleasant, probably trying to get on his good side because of his last name. He'd be sharing Tim's office until it was decided if this was a perminent place or not.

It was enlightening to see Tim work, where Damian had been given smaller tasks, along with general busy work, Tim threw himself back into his research, the Technology R&D had been working on prototype batteries for electronics. Tim deliberated with them for hours, coming up with new designs, adaptations, fixing issues. It was humbling to see his genius at work. Damian could never deny that Tim was scarily intelligent.

The lunches they shared daily in Tim's office made him feel normal. They would not converse about anything of substance, just office gossip but seeing Tim laugh and smile at his own jokes was uplifting. The residual tension of their past was mostly gone. They were charting new territory, a place where Tim Drake and Damian Wayne were friendly with eachother. 

A scary place to travel.

* * *

It was the end of Damian's first week, Tim had informed him that on Fridays they leave early at midday. A blessing from the universe, he was glad to have some purpose in the real world as Damian Wayne, but Timothy had not being going easy on him. How did Tim do this much work and not want to collapse

_Maybe I should ingest as much caffiene as Tim does._

At 12pm Tim stood from his desk and stretched, an inhuman amount of bones cracked and creaked as he did so.

"I'm going to change into some normal clothes before we go home, I can't stand being in this suit any longer" Tim informed him as he took a bag of clothes from a drawer in his desk. He strode over to a plain wall, tapped it and the large panel started to slide across the wall, revealing a private restroom.

"Are you kidding me? I've been going all the way across the office this entire week to use the restroom!"

Tim laughed "you didn't ask if I had one, and you have the bladder of an old man."

Damian scowled "it's not my fault I stay hydrated, Drake!"

Tim reappeared minutes later wearing some shapeless black jeans, a baggy t-shirt and a boring jacket. His suit carelessly stuffed into the rucksack he retrieved from his desk.

"Drake, you look like a mess. Put the suit back on" Damian pointed out frankly. 

"I haven't had clothes that I feel good in since I was in high school. I have shit that I laze around the tower and manor in, suits and my Red Robin costume." Tim confessed.

"Timothy that is unacceptable, we have a few hours before the stores in the city start closing, I'm taking you shopping. You need to feel good about what you wear."

Tim sighed in agreement, knowing it was futile to protest.

 _I_ _should have seen this coming._ He thought.

As Damian began to appear at more public functions with Bruce, he crafted a persona. Damian had taken a keen interest in fashion as part of his research but the interest formed an obsession. He had appeared on hundreds of magazine covers: Vogue, People, GQ, Attitude... All of his photoshoots were either self styled, or he had a hand in them. 

Everyone thought Damian done these interviews and photoshoots to keep the press at arms length, giving them enough so they didn't follow him everywhere. But the truth was that Damian simply enjoyed it. Being 'Damian Wayne: model, fashion extraordinaire, and playboy' was enjoyable, an escape from 'Damian Wayne: hier to WE, Robin and supposed brat.'

The parked outside a modest sized shop, not a massive brand outlet, but a small clothes maker. A gigantic neon 'G' hung above the entrance, Tim had seen stores of the same name in Blüdhaven and New York, but none on the west coast.

Before they entered, Damian halted by the door. "Gina can be a bit much" he explained. "She is the owner of all these stores, but I'm a frequent customer so she has the tendency to bombard me with questions on my personal life. She will judge you, try not to take it personally."

Now Tim had no idea what to expect, they walked in and were immediately hit with a thousand colours and loud pop music. There was no clear style this shop catered to, instead catering to them all. Tim's investigation was interrupted by an thundering voice.

"DAMIAN WAYNE!" the lady who Tim assumed was Gina thundered. "Where the fuck have you been, it's been weeks." she held his shoulder and pointed a finger up to his face. "I need your publicity Damian, I've got summer stock to shift." The portly lady pulled Damian into spine cracking hug.

"Gina, babe. I'm here on a mission." Damian charmed, his persona shining through. Tim knew he was a good actor, but not to this calibre. His entire posture and expression had shifted. The list of subtle changes transformed Damian from a rigid assassin, to a charming, laid back young man.

Gina looked at Tim, up and down, then back up again. "Hmm you like giving me a challenge don't you Dami." Tim felt judged, there was nothing inherently wrong with what he wore. It was just boring and functional.

"No no, Gina you're not handling this one, he's mine." 

Gina turned dramatically, "oooo, is this your boyfriend Dami. I've been waiting for this. Let me get my gun and I'll give him the talk."

"No Gina, just a friend. Is the private dressing room free?" Damian asked, clearly wanting to avoid the subject.

"Sure is, it's been slow today, take as much time as you need." she left to return to her work, the sound of a sewing machine started from a backroom.

Tim knew why Damian wanted to change the subject, he hadn't properly come out to Tim yet. He was away when Damian got exposed by the press, photos were taken of him an his boyfriend at the time kissing each other at college, the paparazzi were just trying to get some domestic shots of him on campus but got more than they bargained for. Since everyone knew, Damian took the chance to embrace it, becoming a symbol of pride in Gotham, him and Bruce set up funding for LGBTQ businesses and charities all over Gotham. 

Tim was yet to tell Bruce or the others that he was gay, they all had their suspicions about him and Conner, wrong suspicious but Bruce and Dick were never going to let it go. Tim had come to his own realisation while with the Titans, but his sexuality was a Tim Drake thing. Something Red Robin didn't have the time or will to process. 

"Now, the entire purpose of clothing is self expression." Damian started what was likely to be a Batman-esque lecture. "We're going to have a proper look around and you're going to pick out anything that jumps off the racks and screams 'Tim Drake' at you." Tim nodded in response he went about picking up some stylish jackets, one red bomber that was the same colour as his Red Robin suit. 

He picked up some fitted jeans, smarter trousers and some button up shirts, occasionally holding up items to Damian for approval, only receiving eyebrow movements as responses. He had never worn anything like what he'd picked up, most of what he wore seemed too smart and uncomfortable, but maybe he should have experimented with new looks before now. 

Damian led them through a door to what must've been the private dressing room. There was a single dressing booth, curtains served as a door. There was an absurdly large mirror on the fall facing them, and a small couch which damian plopped himself down on opposite the booths. The decor was modern but definitely still had Gina's influence.

"Here we go" Tim sighed as he hauled his clothes into the booth. He stared at the bundle of fabric and picked out a cohesive outfit.

 _T_ _his will be cool, I'll look great._ He thought as he started to strip.

Damian noticed that Tim had not shut the curtain all the way. He shouldn't look but curiosity got the better of him. He caught the right side of Tim's body. He was wearing tight boxer briefs that hugged his behind perfectly. Damian shifted in his seat. He chastised himself internally, feeling guilty for being a pervert. 

Returning his gaze to his phone. He scrolled though his instagram feed, there was a few pictures of his paintings and his dog. But most were reposts of his magazine covers, or half naked selfies. Damian enjoyed the attention, no one ever questioned the few scars he had, because the press knew a false version of his unbringing in Saudi Arabia. He vowed to get a picture of him and Tim for his feed a little later.

Tim emerged from the booth wearing a well thought out outfit. Red accented the entire outfit, matched to perfection and his clothes highlighted his great figure. It wasn't a shocking display of high fashion, but Tim finally looked as if cared for his appearance, and not a man with a heap of material haphazardly thrown onto him.

He beamed as he stepped out, he thought dressing in red may be a little on the nose considering considering his alter-ego but Damian's face told him all he needed to know. He was grinning ear to ear. His eyes glittered back at Tim. 

"I knew you could do it Timothy! You look fantastic!" Damian's eyes lingered, as if he was committing the spectacle to memory. Tim thought for moment he saw a hint of lust in his expression. He turned Tim to face the mirror and stood behind him, his hands resting on Tim's shoulders. "Red really is your colour."

Tim stared at himself in the mirror blushing, the shower of compliments made him feel great about himself. Damian was right, he did look fantastic! It felt as if an important step for Tim Drake had been made. He was shaken out of his mind when a camera shutter echoed in his ear. Damian had shuffled round to stand next to him, one arm around Tim's shoulder the other holding his phone up to the mirror. 

"I hope you don't mind" he started, "I thought I'd take advantage of your striking good looks and make a new instagram post, I do have an image to uphold." He held up the phone for Tim to see. The picture was somewhat flattering, Tim was smiling stupidly at himself in the mirror and Damian's signature smirk was blurred due to being out of focus. The picture was for Damian's instagram, but was definitely a photo focused on Tim.

"That's fine I guess. You don't think I look a little goofy grinning at myself like that?" 

"Nonsense, you look cute." Damian stated before returning to his seat of the sofa. He giggled internally that he'd just called Tim cute to his face. 

Tim returned to the booth to take off his new gear so he could pay. He smirked to himself as he packed everything up.

 _Cute._ He thought. _Cute, with striking good looks eh?_

Damian forced Tim to put away his credit card at the checkout, saying it was his treat and that because he dragged Tim shopping he should pay. Not that it made a ripple in either of their bank accounts but the sentiment was endearing. The drive home was pleasant, him and Damian enjoying a cosy silence.

They arrived home just as the cleaners were leaving. With Alfred gone, the cleaners came every Friday for a few hours. They didn't go near any of the bedrooms, just the ground floor. Their presence did however mean that all bat-related stuff must be in their rooms or in the sealed cave. Tim could not leave casework sprawled across the dining room like he used to.

Tim dropped his bags by the wardrobe and collapsed face down on the bed. He would worry about hanging the garments later, now was an opportune time for a nap.

* * *

When Tim woke, it was the dawn, the sun was peaking over the horizon. He gazed at his alarm clock that read: '5:10'. It was only meant to be a short nap! Not 11 hours fully clothed.

He propped himself up on his forearms and took a proper look at his room for the first time since he'd been back. The last week or so was spent just crashing into bed when he was on the brink of passing out.

He was glad Bruce never changed it. Posters from his childhood accessorised his bare walls. Green day, Sum 41, Oasis, all bands he still has the matching shirts to somewhere. Dispersed between the posters was all of Tim's photography. Various landscapes from his travels, photos of his friends.

Tim got up to get a closer look, nostalgia taking over, some of these photos he hadn't seen in years. He traced his fingers over the photo of Superboy he had gotten not long after they formed Young Justice. It was reminecent of Jimmy Olsen's famous shot of Superman's first flight over Metropolis. 

Next to it was a shot of Dick and Kori sitting on top of Titans tower. He remembered it so vividly. It was after a long battle against Brother Blood. Despite the victory, everyone was pretty beat up and not in the mood for celebration. Tim wanted to get away for some fresh air so he went to the roof and saw the two dangling their legs over the edge. Just enjoying the sunset in silence. Dick's head resting on Kori's shoulder. Her hair was billowing back in the breeze. The photographer in Tim took over and he raced to get his camera. He had it printed large and framed, he gifted it to them as an anniversary present. Naturally Dick started crying like a drama queen. Tim smiled fondly at the memory.

There were a couple of lucky captures, like one of Jason smoking a cigarette with his helmet under his arm, another of Bart speed eating. Tim laughed at the next one down. It was Bruce in the cave scolding a young Damian. He had his arms folded like a moody child, nothing of the demeanour of a deadly assassin. Tim reasoned that the sunrise would be better for a photo in about 10 minutes time, enough time for a shower. 

With the walk down memory lane over he stripped from his 'ugly' clothes as Damian so pointedly named and turned the shower on to warm up. Tim met his own gaze in the mirror, running a hand though his hair. It was growing out already, he had got rid of the long flowing hair in favour of his old shorter look. Still a middle parting, but neater on the sides and back, he'd need it cut again soon. At that Tim's mind wandered to Damian's hair, a sharp fade up the sides and back, the undercut top looked ridiculously good whether it was gelled back or left to sit naturally. "Pffft" Tim snorted aloud, "damn perfect hair with his perfect face and perfect eyebrows."

He hopped into the shower feeling immediately revitalised, the water bombarded him. He showered quickly with the hope that he could still get a good shot of the sunrise if he hurried. He pulled on only a pair of joggers after barely drying off. Eager to catch the horizon while it was still photogenic. He pulled his phone off charge and snapped a picture from his open window. Satisfied he pocketed his phone and moved over the the desk for a sticky note. 'find camera, charge it.' Tim scrawled onto the note before sticking it to an empty space of desk. With his morning productivity spree over only one thought echoed in Tim's mind: _coffee and food._


	3. Flirting in the kitchen

Tim creeped downstairs, not hearing the usual sound of music that brings the house to life around this time. Bruce had converted the second living room into a dance hall for Cass. Bruce knew dance was important to her and Tim couldn't remember a time they used the room for functions. He concluded that Cass must've gone out last night. 

The smell of fresh coffee wafted thought the air to Tim's delight. Damian heard the footsteps approaching through the dining room. "Morning Drake." He mumbled as he reached up on the shelf to grab another cup.

Tim got more than an eyeful of Damian as he stretched up for a second cup. He was dressed in nothing but a tight pair of white boxer briefs. Nothing was left to the imagination. His dark skin was smooth all over. A stark contrast to Tim's pale white skin littered with a light smattering of dark hair over his legs, chest and trailing down from his belly button , There was no doubt that Damian got waxed regularly. 

_Everywhere?_ Tim thought wickedly. 

The sight made the older boy flush red down to his chest. Tim averted his gaze as Damian handed him his cup only managing to squeak out: "Good morning."

"I apologise for my lack of clothing, I was not expecting you to be be awake so early."

"That's okay" Tim glowed in scarlet again. "I'm not exactly covered up either." He gawped at each muscle as it stretched. It was amsot as if Damian was putting in a show. As if he was flexing and moving in certain ways so Tim could get an eyeful.

"Cassandra will not be joining us, she spent the night with Stephanie and will be spending the day with her too I assume." Damian giggled, noticing the redness of Tim's face before continuing "I trust you like omelette for breakfast? I didn't want to make anything bigger."

Tim nodded a response while mid-sip. Damian grinned back before moving to the counter to begin cooking. He moved about the kitchen with grace, Tim stole glances at him while he was engrossed in his work. Damian's hair was still perfect even fresh out of bed. A stark contrast to his own damp mess. His foot tapped the tile as he waited for the pan to heat up.

They ate in a comfortable silence, Tim was the first one to break it with an offer to help. "I'll do the dishes" he offered, "my way of thanking you for cooking."

"Since when were we so domesticated, Drake?" Damian laughed. "you're gracious offer is accepted, if you'd excuse me I should propably put another layer of clothing on to avoid you staring any longer. It's the decent thing to do."

"You don't have to" Tim blurted out. He blushed, immediately regretted it, cursing his stupid morning brain for having to filter. "I just mean it's your house technically and I was not staring, definitely not staring and you could walk around naked if you wanted I couldn't say otherwise and ugh..." he trailed off, opting to take the plates to the sink and avoid the younger boys gaze.

"You're right Drake." a mischievous grin spreading across his features as Tim met his gaze once more. He swallowed all inhibitions and committed to his next words fully. "Maybe I should just walk just around completely naked. Would you like that?" He stood slowly, staring Tim right in the eye who's face was coloured a dark shade of scarlet. Damian ran his hands slowly down his abs and hooked a thumb in his waistband. Tim bit his lip, not knowing where else to look but where Damian's had directed him to. He could see outlines and shapes of what was below the fabric. Tim's breath was held tight in his chest, the anticipation of what could happen next sat heavy in his gut.

Damian simply pinged his waistband against his smooth skin, making a cracking noise that shattered the tension. He blew Tim a kiss and walked away giggling.

Tim breathed out, releasing the recycled air. _Was he flirting_? _That was flirting right?_ Tim thought, _Why the hell did I basically tell him to stay undressed? Not subtle at all eh Tim?_ he scolded himself. A warm feeling pooled in his stomach. _That was really hot! If he would've pulled them down, I would've lost control. I can't lose control._ Tim demanded of himself. He elected to focus on the dishes rather than the obscene image of Damian undressed tormenting him.

* * *

Tim avoided Damian for most of the day, afraid of what else his brain might let slip. _How can I be this attracted to someone I used to be at odds with? I don't even know much about him and I want him to fuck me into next week._ Tim argued with himself while he busied himself pointlessly re-organising ornaments in the living room. 

_Well how am I meant to get to know him better if I avoid him and just giggle when he speaks?_ A light bulb illuminated in Tim's head: _we should grab dinner together and just talk about ourselves for once. No bitching about people in the office or reporting on how the Titans are doing._

He dusted off one of Selena's cat ornaments and placed it delicately back on the shelf, it was heavy and looked expensive meaning it was definitely stolen. 

_I don't think either of us have plans for tonight._

Tim rushed out the room and up the stairs to propose his offer to Damian.

 _Let's get this over with before I over think and change my mind_. 

* * *

Damian was lazing on his bed, the midday sun streamed through his window, one leg propping up his sketchbook, the other outstretched across his sheets, he was drawing Titus who was napping on his floor. He hadn't bothered to get dressed after this morning, knowing he would not venture downstairs again until dinner. A light knock on the door shook him from his concentration. He shouted for the visitor to enter. 

Tim opened the door only to gawk at his second eyeful of a half naked Damian that day. "Timothy" he addressed him softly, his face neutral. He dropped his leg flat on the bed. 

Tim looked anywhere but Damian. "Your pretty much naked... Still." This illicited a chuckle from the lesser clothed boy.

"You were telling me to keep it off earlier. I thought you liked it." He quipped. Tim opened his mouth but kept stuttering. Damian sensed his discomfort and discarded his sketchbook to open his drawer to retrieve some trousers or anything to cover himself up. "Sorry for making you uncomfortable Timothy, that was insensitive of me." He apologised while pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

"No, no its okay really you can, erm wear whatever you like considering I'm invading your personal space...ugh I just wanted to ask, umm. Well I just wondered if you were up for going out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, it occurred to me that we might not, ughhh, know each other that well after all this time. I thought because we weren't doing anything tonight it'd be a good idea, it's fine if you don't want to, I understand if you-"

"Timothy!" Damian interrupted "I'd love to, but can you breathe please!"

"Whew, how does 6:30 sound?" he breathed.

 _Did he just ask me on a date?_ Damian was excited at the prospect. He could practically feel the nerves radiating from Tim. _Does Tim know that sounded like he was proposing a date?_ Damian could not resist toying with him just one last time, he considered his next words carefully before vocalising his latest evil thought:

"It's a date" he stated simply trying to avoid grinning like a child. Tim's eyes widened only furthering Damian's joy. "What shall I wear? I don't want to be underdressed." It was mean, but he couldn't resist seeing Tim squim under the pressure of his questioning.

"Ugh" a high pitched squeak was the only noise to come from Tim, he cleared his throat before continuing: "dress smart-casual, as long as your outfit lands anywhere inbetween tracksuit and actual suit I think you'll be okay." he laughed nervously. "Forecast says it'll still be warm later but there's a chance of rain so you choose whether to risk a coat or not." 

"Got it. Perfect! I'll see you at the entrance hall at 6:30 sharp." He uttered excitedly as Tim hurried out. Time to make himself look pretty for whatever the hell this dinner was. 

* * *

Tim was panicked. 

_I didn't mean for it too be a date! But he seems to think is is one! I've unintentionally asked Damian out on a date and its too late to back out._ _I_ _don't even know if I think of him in that way, I mean I enjoy the flirting_. Tim grinned at the memory. _I enjoyed the flirting a lot. But just because I want us to fuck doesn't mean I was gonna act on it._

Tim needed help to organise his thoughts, he needed help with this entire situation. He needed someone external to this that could give informed but unbiased help... He knew just the boy, a Superboy.

* * *

"Timmy boy, how can I help everyone's favourite deserter?" Conner joked through the phone, however Tim did not need jokes he needed some Kryptonian hope and some Lex Luthor intellect. 

"You know I didn't desert Conner, you idiot. I need some serious help right now, please." Conner could hear the urgency in Tim's voice.

"I can fly over" the Kryptonian offered.

"No its fine, I just need you to be honest and give your two cents on an issue that has to stay between us for now." Conner hummed his agreement through the phone.

"I have kinda asked Damian out on a date." Tim confessed

"No way, as in Damian who tried to kill you repeatedly?" Superboy questioned. "Didn't think he was your type. I thought you'd go for a clean cut type of boy. Not well, Damian. He's a free spirit, loose cannon, very angry."

"Yes, but let's not get bogged down in specifics. So I didn't mean it as a date, I just thought we'd go to dinner as friends and get to know each other better because we have been getting along really well since I got back to the Manor. I thought we'd solidify what we have started to build."

Superboy scoffed over the phone. "You realise you're pretty much describing a date, so what's the issue?"

"Ahhh" Tim whined "The issue is that I don't know if I like him that way, yeah I'm physically attracted but a date means more. I don't know why I get so damn flustered around him. I don't know if I want this to be an actual date. Conner, I don't even know what I'm doing."

"Calm down Tim, take a breath and sit down." Tim complied, flopping down on his bed. "Tim you haven't had a proper relationship with anyone since you were like 14 with Steph. You were always going to be bad at this, practice makes perfect and all." Tim scoffed but stayed silent for him to continue. "You said you get flustered when you're around him, why? Is it the past?" 

"Well... He's gorgeous. Like painfully, too-sexy-for-words gorgeous. You should see him Conner. I haven't taken my eyes off him since I got here. I've got it bad Kon." 

Conner burst into laughter. "I know how he looks Tim, he's on been on literally every magazine cover and I follow him on Instagram. So he's attractive, what else?" Conner continued. 

"He took me clothes shopping, we share lunch everyday at work and we've been flirting a little, well he's flirted all I've done fail at flirting back, blushed uncontrollably and gawk over his near naked body. He's grown up to be soft and caring, we laugh together, no insults, no fights."

"I'm sorry, wh-what now? Can we dial back to naked thing?" Conner stuttered.

Tim explained Damian's lack of clothing this morning and just a few minutes ago, also mentioning Damian's tease in the kitchen. Conner was silent for a minute before huffing a breath out and speaking his mind. 

"I'll be honest with you Tim, you need to pull your head out of your ass and wake up. From what you've told me, he might be interested in you. You're interested in him. You are. Yes you wanna have sex with him, but that fact you want to get to know him better proves that isn't all you want from him. Just go on your maybe-date and have fun. Worry about anything else later on. Worst case scenario nothing changes and you can play it off as a friends-only dinner. Best case scenario, Rob, is that you get laid!"

"Thanks for the honesty Conner." Tim replied gratefully, ignoring his last sentiment. 

"Honestly Tim, I'm glad you're excited over something for once, even if that excitement resided underneath a shit ton of panic. Remember: be yourself, be calm and also be sure you wear something that he brought you."

"You know Conner, your advice could rival Alfred's." Sweet memories of Alfred's stern and meaniful advice flooded over Tim bringing a bittersweet smile to his face. 

"No one rivals Alfred, Tim we both know that. But if Alfred were in my place he'd be shooing you to get ready. So I'm gonna let you go. If you don't text me later on, I know your date had a happy ending. Use lube and protection-"

Conner hung up before Tim could rebuke his last comment, he was correct though, he should shower, pick out an outfit and get ready for whatever the hell this dinner was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the great people who are reading, the next chapter should be up either tommorow or the next day.


	4. The Maybe-Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Tim go out for dinner, but is it a date...

Damian finished painting his last nail with a smile. Finally he was ready! He stood to the mirror, making sure he was perfect.

After a long amount of deliberation he settled on a green silk-look shirt. He wore it with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and the top 3 buttons undone to maintain some sense of casual. He paired it with some black skinny trousers which the shirt was tucked into, and a black leather pair of chelsea boots. The trousers did not cling elastically to his legs; they sat just right on the top of his boots. They did however cling in other places, he pivoted his hips around to get a good look at his rear.

"Peachy!" Damian chuckled. 

To finish his ensemble he painted his nails and irridescant green to mimic his shirt. Damian's outfit was simple, not bold enough to draw unwanted attention. It definitely leaned more to the smart side of smart-casual. "It is neither tracksuit nor actual suit, so it will be fine according to Timothy." He confirmed to himself.

 _I should change my hair again_ he thought as he reached a hand up to fiddle with it. "Ahhhh" he vocalised, lowering his hand before he could mess it up again. 

Forty minutes of fiddling, blow drying and tugging with a decent amount of hair putty was what it took for Damian to be remotely pleased with the result. The top had a little height. The long, straight strands blown up and over to the right side of his head, some chunks of hair poked out at different angles dramatically.

_Does this look too similar to my Robin hair?_

It was better than letting it fall where it wants, but Damian did not want to slick it back like he would for work or Galas.

The boy's room was in disarray, the wardrobe open, clothes draped over the doors, his was dresser cluttered with hair products and assorted polishes. All the mess was a result of his fixation to be perfect for Tim. Whether this was a date-date or a friendly dinner, Damian was just happy to have more alone time with him. 

He glanced at his clock impatiently. It read 6:25pm. _I'll wait for him downstairs._ He decided as he grabbed his wallet and phone, forgoing a jacket in fears it may ruin his look. 

* * *

Tim bounced down the stairs clumsily. His phone was clenched between his teeth as he fumbled to put his jacket on. He had wasted too much time talking with Conner and overthinking his outift. 

He had threw together a toned down version of an outfit he saw Damian wearing in a magazine once. A grey roll neck made from a thin, light material. Covered with the leather jacket he and Damian picked out at Gina's. After looking at the top half of his outfit, Tim panicked thinking a roll neck was a little smart, so he dressed it down on the bottom half with casual black jeans that were cuffed at the bottom. 

He shrugged his jacket on and retrieved the phone from his jaw. Using it as a makeshift mirror, he pulled and touched at his hair. Nearly tripping on the last step though his lack of concentration. 

"Well Damian, you'll have to deal with this hair because it isn't getting any better." Tim said to himself, his gaze still focused entirely on his phone.

"The hair looks fine Timothy." A phantom voice echoed through the hall. Tim looked up from the phone, mortified. Damian was waiting by the front door, grinning stupidly at Tim's lack of perception.

"I think you look great. Amazing. So you decided to risk a jacket in the heat?" Damian regained his breath. 

"Yeah, I thought the outfit looked better with it, I can always take it off if I'm too hot. I wanted to make an effort for you with the stuff you brought me." Tim flushed when he realised how his words sounded. 

"I do hope you didn't fret too much on my account and I hope I did not offend you yesterday, I merely thought I could make you feel good through the medium of fashion."

"You did make me feel good-" Tim trailed off "I ugh think we're keeping the cab waiting."

"Of course." The young man said opening the front door. "After you Mr Drake." He said with a dramatic motion of his hand.

They sat close in the cab, just smiling awkwardly at each other from time to time, lost for things to say.

 _Well this isn't a good sign,_ Tim mused. _How are we meant to hold a conversation over dinner?_

As if on cue Damian spoke up, "So I assume because we are taking a cab, this restaurant serves alcohol?" 

"Ugh yeah, I thought some liquid courage might stop me being nervous and help me actually make a conversation." 

"Do I make you nervous Timothy?" 

_Yes. You're gorgeous, polite and seem genuinely interested despite what you know about me._ Tim confessed to his mind. _I also haven't been on a date in years and have no clue what to do, how to act or what to say._

"No no, I just didn't want to work myself up worrying what to say, or what not to say." Tim fiddled with the zip of his coat, avoiding looking at Damian. "Then I just end up stuttering or staying silent."

"I see... Well how about this, tonight no question is off limits. However absurd or mundane it is, we just ask it as it comes to our head."

"That sounds pretty good actually."

 _Yeah_ , Tim thought, _it's a convenient safety net if my brain to mouth filter decided to crap out again._

The cab pulled up opposite the restaurant in Chinatown interrupting their conversation, Tim gave the driver a hundred dollar bill telling them to keep the change. 

* * *

The restraunt was dimly lit, but cosy and warm feeling. It was contemporary, lots of glass and clean white fittings. A young waitress showed them past the bar to a secluded table in the back. Once seated she helped them to order. They ordered vegetable dumplings for their starter, when the waitress asked about drinks, Tim was sure Damian would plump for tea the waitress offered. 

"I will have a gin and tonic pleased. Half and half, I can handle it." He said with a charming smirk. 

"Ugh, I'll get the same as him." Tim replied. 

She left with a smile, promising that their order will not be long. 

"I was sure you'd have the tea." Tim said

"I could hardly let you drink by yourself." 

"Is Cass usually out with Steph often?" Tim questioned, desperately trying to avoid falling into awkwardness. 

"Cassandra has quite the relationship the other ladies, they do often enjoy each others company to work on cases or for fun."

"What's it like living with her and Duke when he wasn't at college?"

The corners of Damian's mouth twitched up slightly into a faint smile. "Duke was refreshingly normal, but I never saw much of him, because he worked during the day. As you know me and Cassandra didn't get along much when I first arrived. My fault of course. But we have since taught each other a lot and have found we have much in common, being offspring to assassins and all." 

"Do you remember the time Cass slammed your head into the ground because you pissed her off?"

"I remember you wanting to video it and calling me a gremlin!" Damian quipped. Causing both boys to burst into laughter. 

The waitress returned with their drinks and dumplings. Tim sipped his drink before picking up his chopsticks and digging in. 

"What's the matter?' Tim asked an uncomfortable looking Damian. 

"I fear I may be about to make a fool of myself, I have never used chopsticks, when we get chinese takeout I always use a fork." For the first time Tim saw a scarlet heat rise on Damian cheeks.

"Aren't you part chinese thought? Look here, I'm sure Damian Wayne: master assassin can pick this up with ease" Tim held his chopsticks in view slowly demonstrating how to place them between his fingers and move them up and down in a pincer movement. Damian tried his best, assaulting the dumplings. 

"This is not funny Drake!" He snarled through gritted teeth. Tim snorted and giggled on the other side of the table. Unable to keep a straight face. After massacring the poor dumpling he got the hang of it just enough to get it from plate to mouth. 

"So now you are back in Gotham, do you have plans to spend more time with Stephanie?" 

Tim's eyebrows furrowed at the question. "Yeah of course I do, I haven't seen her since I've been back, I'm not looking forward to the lecture I'll get, but I do want to spend more time with her." 

"Romantically?" Damian asked, his face was blank so Tim could not read his intention. Damian screamed at himself internally, hoping the answer would be no. 

"Absolutely not, just friendly." Tim could swear he saw Damian's face fall into relief for a split second before returning to its previous blankness. 

"Why not?" Damain cursed himself for pressing further. He found out what he needed to know. 

_Why does he care?_ Tim thought. _I thought that he liked me, he said this was a date didn't he?_ He lost himself in his head momentarily, just enough time for his mental filter to slip. 

"Because she hasn't got a cock." Tim snorted. A flippant kneejerk response that he immediately regretted.

 _Oh for fuck's sake, not again._ Tim cursed himself. 

Damian coughed and choked the sip of his g&t he just took. "That sure is one way to phrase it Timothy."

Tim sat in silence mortified as the main course arrived. Damian did not press the subject further thankfully. 

Damian sipped at his 3rd drink of the night. Tim decided decided to break the lull with "Where did you paintings go from around the Manor, I could swear there were loads more?" 

Damian nodded as he finished his mouthful. "I sold them all at an exhibition. Grandfather suggested I should show off my work and put some pieces up for for auction. There was quite an interest in them, the Gotham Times had recently interviewed me about my interest in art. Instead of putting some of the up for sale, I sold all of them. The proceeds went to various charities.'

"How much did you make off them?' Tim asked. 

"Around $700,000 for twenty pieces. Much more than I thought they were worth. I'm sure the goodwill of giving to charity forced the buyers to reach a little deeper into their pockets." He paused to take a drink. "Speaking of art, why did you give up your photography? Your pictures were outstanding, but you seemed to have lost interest over time." 

"It's funny you should mention it actually, just this morning when I woke up I felt the need to take a photo of the sunrise for the first time in ages. Then I got all nostalgic over some of the photos on my wall."

"You have your work up on display?" 

"You must've been in my room in the last 2 years while I was away." Tim said with a raised eyebrow.

"Timothy, I did not even enter your room when I was trying to murder you and I left your possessions outside of your door when you arrived back. Now you have me intrigued as to what else lies beyond your door."

With nothing left to lose, Tim gulped and shoved away his nerves. "Maybe you'll find out." He said charmingly. 

After devouring their main course, they decided to skip dessert and head home for a nightcap. The taxi ride home was full of giggles and laughter. Both boys were a little tipsy having consumed four rather large gin and tonics each. 

They practically fell out of the taxi, after paying the driver with a few mystery notes. For all they know, they could've paid the driver $300. Tim was never more thankful that the Manor had a thumbprint door lock, saving him the hassle of fumbling with a keys. 

Damian slammed himself down on the upstairs study's couch while Tim fetched a bottle of Bruce's good whiskey. They sat and drank for what could've been the whole night. They asked each other stupid questions like what their favourite flavour jam was, and what Justice League member they'd want to live with for a week. They were down to just a third of the bottle left when the question that was burning in Tim's mind came tumbling from his mouth.

"Was this a date, like did you want it to be one." Tim slurred as he examined his glass. He waited and waited for an answer but there wasn't a sound in the house. He looked over and saw that Damian was out cold, splayed out awkwardly over the couch.

 _That doesn't look comfortable. I'll just carry him to his bed, I'm not that drunk._

He got up and adjusted himself to accommodate for the world swaying before hoisting Damian up in his arms bridal style and marching along the worlds longest hallway. Luckily Damian's door was cracked open so Tim didn't have to fight to enter. 

Tim dropped the boy on his bed and took his shoes off, they were polished so much you could almost see your reflection.

_That's definitely Alfred's influence, and when did he stop sleeping on a mattress on the floor?_

He placed the shoes into the bombsite of material that Tim gathered was the wardrobe. 

The room was dim, only faint light coming from the lamp Tim had turned on so he could see where he was going. He took a moment to look around. The clutter made the room look like completely different from the fairly organised palace he entered earlier.

_This much mess just to get ready for dinner?_

Among the exploded wardrobe were several pairs of split sole ballet shoes. _Damian dances? No way, I have to see him!_ Tim left Damian to his slumber. He resolved to be up as early as possible just incase Damian would be practicing in the morning. For a brief moment while he was at the door, he considered climbing in next to him. Perhaps the walk to his own bed was too long, or perhaps he wanted to be close and feel his body. 

He shook his head and left the boy sleeping. Retiring to his own room and collapsing on the floor, inches from his bed. 


	5. Kicks and Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Damian share their first kiss

Tim's head pounded.

 _Who's idea was it to have a nightcap._ Tim thought as he swallowed some painkillers with water. Tim had foregone a shower but had brushed his teeth, the whiskey flavour had been lingering far longer than it was welcome. "Huh" he said, "someone's here." The coffee machine was on, a cup placed next to it with a note.

'Thought you might be hungover! I'm in the cave. - D'

 _He writes notes now_?

Tim filled his cup and made for the living room where the grandfather clock entrance to the cave was already open. Damian must've been training hard, perspiration glittered on his bare chest. He had stopped to take a drink of water when Tim appeared on the stairs.

"How do you not have a hangover?" Tim questioned.

"I do, but there's nothing some painkillers and exercise can't handle." Damian walked over to the weapons rack and grabbed a spare bo staff. "Now I know you've taken the painkillers, how about some exercise?" He offered holding out the staff to Tim.

"No way, nuh uh. Its too early." Tim shook his head.

"We'll spar for a little bit then I'll make us breakfast?" Damian raised his eyebrow and smirked.

"Fine. Only because I can't cook. Go easy on me today." Tim agreed as he rested his coffee down next to the computer.

_How can I say no when he smiles like that?_

They eyed each other on the mat, Damian stood cockily with his hands behind his back. Tim spun the staff a few times before launching his attack. He tested Damian by attempting to strike at his abdomen, before moving with laser speed to hit the backs of his legs. Damian dodged easily, as if he knew the exact combo Tim would use.

 _Time to switch tactics._ Tim thought as he swung the length of the staff over his head, like a caveman swinging a club. Damian caught the end of the staff inches from his face with both hands. _Haha he fell for it!_ Tim pulled the staff towards him and delivered a kick to Damian's abdomen as he stumbled forward.

"Well played Timothy." he congratulated as he got up from the mat.

"A classic move, Lady Shiva taught me it in my early days." Tim discarded the bo staff and stood ready for the next assault.

Damian did not wait to recover, instead launching into his next attack. They blocked each other blows, neither landing a hit for minutes until Damian decided to end this. He pressed his heel into Tim's bare foot then used the distraction to flip him over onto the ground. A dirty move, but and effective one nonetheless.

He landed on top of Tim, straddling him, their faces close. Tim's icy blue eyes stared into Damian's emeralds. On pure lust and instinct Tim closed the gap between them, their lips locked together. The moment stretched out for an eternity. An eternity where Tim was stuck in the limbo of loving the soft lips pressed with his, satisfying a burning need in him since last night's dinner and the anxiety of what would happen next. Tim was only ripped from the moment when Damian started to kiss back. Every bit of tension and emotion of the last week collided between their mouths. They kissed for a short time before Damian pulled off for air. Tim missed the contact immediately, he wanted just one more moment. 

"I've been waiting to do that" Tim whispered.

Damian smiled down at him. "Shower Tim. Shower, then breakfast." He bent down to give Tim one more short kiss before getting up and replacing the staff on the rack. 

_Does he mean shower with him?_ Tim panicked.

Damian looked back to see a very worried looking Tim still laying on the mat. Damian decided to put his mind at ease: "You can just use the cave showers if climbing all those stairs in unappealing." He put extra emphasis on 'you' so it made his intentions clear. 

Damian walked up the cave stairs risking one final look back at Tim. The sight of Tim grinning stupidly to himself, lost among his thoughts gave Damian an odd feeling, he should be happy seeing Tim all giddy, but he was overcome with worry and regret. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really short, the next one will be short too. I felt it was better to separate them.


	6. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is never a good time for an apology. But in such a pivotal moment of their relationship, Damian decides now is as good a time as any.

In true Wayne Manor tradition, Sunday breakfast was pancakes. Alfred would never let anyone leave the table before they had at least one.

Damian had started making breakfast after his own shower, Tim had taken a considerably longer time to wash.

 _Thank god Alfred taught him to cook_ Tim thought as he and Damian were eating.

Damian had sat across from him at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, it only made things more awkward. They ate in complete silence. A thick tension hung in the air. After what happened in the cave, Tim didn't know what to say.

 _Maybe Damian doesn't know what to say either, what are we now? Do we just pretend it didn't happen? He didn't seem overjoyed afterwards_.

Hundreds of thoughts and scenarios coursed through Tim's head, he'd long swallowed his last bite of pancake but sat there gazing out the window.

"We need to talk Timothy."

Tim snapped from his daydream to look Damian in the eyes, his face was knotted into concern. 'We need to talk' never meant anything good. "I, ugh... Look we should umm-" 

"If you want to forget about this morning then I understand." Damian interjected. 

"I don't want to forget at all Damian, it's just I didn't plan to kiss you, I just did it because I wanted to. But then I thought about how I might've read some signals wrong, maybe I was misintetpreting some things. Maybe you weren't interested."

"I am interested Tim." He uttered timidly, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and choked.

Tim's brain stopped working. "Oh." Was the only thing he managed to squeak out. 

Damian got up and took the plates to the sink, he kept his back to Tim, he couldn't bear to face him as he asked: "I have a difficult question for you... Why me Tim?" 

The vulnerability in Damian's voice shocked Tim's brain back into function. "What do you mean?" 

Damian gripped the counter around the sink, "what I mean Timothy, is that I did nothing but treat you like shit for years. Why me, why are you interested in me?"

"It's not like that anymore though, you've been nothing but good to me since I came back. You're amazing, you're perfect, how could I not want you. For the first time in a long time I feel something again. Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Tim cursed himself for being so flippant. Damian's grip relaxed on the counter, he let out a huge breath before returning to his seat across from the older boy. 

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself Tim. I'm just sorry. I'm so sorry for trying to kill you, I'm sorry I practically ousted you from this household. I'm sorry I took your offer of friendship upon my arrival and stomped on it. I'm sorry for putting you down at every opportunity I had. I'm so sorry."

He breathed another shaky breath before continuing. 

"I had an argument with Jon one day on a mission and while I was venting to Grandfather about it, he told me friends and family was a gift only given to most people once, and that after I came to Gotham I'd been given a second chance at it.

Before I would only let Richard, Father and Grandfather into my life and push everyone else away but I've come to cherish everyone in my life over time. Cassandra is the sister I always wanted, Jason and me have much more in common than I previously thought. You Tim, you weren't a rival to me at all, you were a role model. Its obvious why Father let you be Robin.

By the time I got over my jealousy and stopped seeing you as a rival, I knew I had to apologise to you Tim, but I was a coward and avoided you until I could muster up the courage. By the time I was ready you had left for San Francisco.

I could not apologise on any of the missions you returned for, and I could apologise at any WE galas. But I could've apologised that night we watched a movie. I was a coward again. There was never a good time to do this, so I'm doing it now."

Tim reached across the counter and placed his hand over the younger boys. "Please stop Damian, I forgave you a long time ago. You're not the reason I left."

Damian yanked his hand away. "Tim, it was selfish of me to pursue you romantically without first saying all of this. You needed to hear this, I shouldn't have started whatever it is we have without addressing our past. I really like you. You hit me hard and fast and it's so overwhelming and I got lost in you. I really really like you Tim, but I approached this all wrong. I'm sorry." He stormed away from the kitchen, Tim heard the back door slam. 

He knew better than to follow him, but he couldn't stay in the kitchen. The sudden emptiness and coldness in the room made his stomach turn, he walked aimlessly through the Manor finding refuge nowhere but his bedroom.

* * *

Damian stood before his grandfather's grave with a solemn expression. 

"I ruined it Grandfather, I just couldn't help myself and I put my lust before doing what was right. I was always taught that carnal desires were a waste of time. I should've apologised before, as soon as he got here. I should have done it years ago, I came so close so many times. But I got lost in my infatuation with him, the second I saw him after all those years I was lost in him. Like I'd never seen him before."

He pressed his hand onto the gravestone, hoping it would make him feel closer to Alfred. It wasn't warm or loving like Alfred. It was cold and hard, it did nothing to make him feel closer. He only felt more distant than ever. 

"I really like him, I haven't felt like this in so long, he's made me happier than I've ever been these past few weeks. Why did I not listen to you earlier? If I had apologised before then maybe we would've been closer for years before now. I wish i could start over and do things the right way."

Damian closed his eyes and breathed a long breath.

"I need you Grandfather. I need your advice, you'd know what to do. I need you to tell me what to do! How do I fix this?" Damian's hand curled into a fist. His knuckles pressed into stone. "I want you back... I miss you."


	7. A New Start

The office seemed empty without Damian. Tim had grown so used to him sitting across the room clicking his tongue at things he found distasteful, or sighing when he needed to make his 10th restroom trip of the day.

Three days and he hadn't seen Damian once even though they lived together. All Tim wanted to do was talk. Tell him that he'd overreacted. Tell him that it was fine and that they could carry on as normal.

 _Why did it mean so much to him that he hadn't apologised before we started...doing whatever the hell we were doing?_ Tim had asked himself earlier. Of course he couldn't have answers until Damian spoke to him again. He was using his vacation days up to avoid Tim.

Cassandra said nothing on the matter when she came home on Sunday, instead she gave Tim a hug and made him a cup of tea. Actions would always speak louder than words with Cassandra, Tim knew she was there for support.

He'd spent the last few days at work trawling through the day, barely getting any work completed then collapsing into bed. Only to rinse and repeat the next day.

* * *

The ride home was rough, the traffic was worse than Star city's. The air was hot, but the sky was dark and ready to storm. A miserable day for a miserable Tim Drake.

Tim was catching up on the work he'd procrastinated on recently in his room when the alert came through on his phone.

**'Heist imminent**

**Gotham City Bank**

**GCPD advanced force occupied with a hostage situation in Coventry and a double homicide in The Bowery. No available units.'**

The message from Oracle meant he was being called to action for the first time in weeks. He grabbed his in-ear receiver from his desk and popped it in his ear. He launched himself out of bed and made his way down the staircase. 

"You read me Oracle?" Tim said aloud, his harsher Red Robin voice taking over his softer Tim Drake tone. 

"Got you loud and clear Red Robin. It's you, Batgirl and Robin on this one. I pulled Spoiler because of an injury I don't want to aggravate." 

"No one else available that's closer?" 

"Nope, Batwoman is out of town and I couldn't reach Red Hood."

"I'm going into the cave now, it'll take 5 to get ready and other 10 to get there. Do we have enough time?" 

"The algorithm picked up a suspicious van that pulled up behind the back of the bank. I hacked the security camera but they're all blank, meaning they've been taken out the feed. The vault security is the best in Gotham so I'd say you have 25 minutes before they start to leave."

Tim bounded down the last set of stairs and ran to his locker. He opted for the full headed cowl suit instead of the winged-domino mask variant. Damian's locker was left open and was emptied, he was no doubt prepping everyone's weapons. 

"Oracle, do we know how many guns we're facing?"

"I'm on now Red, just tapping into other cameras on the street..." Oracle trailed off to concentrate on her search. 

"Got it, security feed from across the street shows 10 guys in body armour with automatics getting out the van. No way to crack the vault with what they took in, so it's best to assume there's another team of 10+ men on the north side of the building. That side of the building is completely blind. so you're all going in clueless here, they could be cracking the vault or they could be blowing it. Exercise caution."

"Did everyone get that?" Tim said to Robin and Batgirl as they geared up. Cass nodded her response. 

"I did indeed." Robin said. The first words Tim heard from him in a lifetime. "I volunteer myself to lead, unless anyone objects?" 

"No." Tim and Cass said in unison. 

"Good, becuase I already have a plan." He motioned them to get into the Batmobile.

_There's his signature cockiness._

Tim laughed to himself as he hopped into the shotgun seat. The lead on the mission always drives. 

"We'll split up, I'll take the North main entrance while you two take out the van drivers and anyone guarding the back entrance. Be sure to take out the vans tires so if any do happen to escape it'll be on foot." He paused momentarily to concentrate on the road, he ripped the steering wheel to the left and swung the car round the sharp corner. 

"Stick to stealth and shadows. Don't let them fire their guns or the team on the inside will know something is wrong. If we get into the bank silently then we meet in the lobby area and move into the vault together. If guns fire at all, take out as many as you safely can, throw a smoke grenade then run and take cover, completely out of bullet range. We can ambush the vault team on their way out." Damian finished the outline of his plan just as they reached the street over from the bank. 

Tim and Cassandra jumped out and grappled to the roofs, so they could move safely out of sight. There were 7 of the 10 van guys patrolling the south side. 

_T_ _his'll be easy!_ Tim thought, _they're lined up for us._

With a quick hand gesture they spilt up. Cass motioned for Tim to take the right, she would flank to the left. They tore through the henchmen, not one was suspecting that their numbers were fleeting. 

"South is clear." Red Robin confirmed as they tied to last henchmen up. 

"As is the North, be in the lobby in one minute sharp, we don't have a lot of time." Robin commanded though sharp breaths. 

They approached the vault silently, Batgirl had hung back to keep watch on the lobby while Robin and Red Robin take the 'vault team' out. 

"This was easy!" a criminal voice echoed from the vault. 

An older gruff voice replied: "So it should be, we've been planning this for months. Way easier to pull off with all the Bats barely out at night. It's like they disappeared completely."

Damian and Tim nodded to each other before Tim stepped into the vault, his staff fully extended. "Sorry to disappoint boys." He whipped his staff around and knocked one criminal out cold. "But we haven't gone anywhere!" He shoved the end of the staff into another henchman's nose, making it rupture and spew with blood. 

Tim leaped behind an alcove wall as the remaining four robbers started shooting. "Now Robin!" he shouted. 

Damian raced from behind the vault door; he threw two 'R' disks at one henchman's hand to stop him from firing anymore, before dropping a smoke grenade between the others. Robin moved at lightning speed, they hadn't had time to register he was there until the smoke billowed around then and filled the room. 

"Red Robin, move! We'll lead them out, this is too enclosed for this much gunfire." Robin commanded as he made to race out the vault. Red Robin followed suit, ducking low to avoid the aimless gunfire being directed at them. 

"Batgirl were headed your way, four guys nothing too difficult but they have heavy guns." Robin said into the comms. 

They hid behind the grand pillars of the lobby, ready to strike. Coughs and splutters came from the criminals as they left the smoked-out vault. 

"We have to try and get rid of them, we've worked on this for too long to fail now." the gruff criminal said. 

They ran past Tim and Damian into the middle of the lobby area, now was the time to strike! Batgirl flew down from the high roof and landed on the shoulders of the first criminal, her momentum slamming his head into the marble floor. She arched her leg round, connecting with the face of another. Damian ran into the assault, he stomped through the knee of one guy, snapping his leg the wrong way. He whirled round to grab the gun off the last man. His hand curled round the barrel; he wrenched it from his grip and bludgeoned his face with the stock. 

Tim stood with his staff in hand ready for action, but the fight was over before he could act. "I really didn't need to be here, did I?" Sirens approached the building, prompting them to hightail it out of there and back to the Batmobile. 

On the ride back to the Manor they updated Oracle on the mission. "Well done guys, I've made a report to file on the batcomputer so you can all crash as soon as you get home." A small bleep indicated that Oracle had disconnected her comlink and was propably turning in for the night. 

"You two could've handled this alone, I felt useless." Tim whined as he pulled back his cowl. 

"Tim, you did great. It still could've gone wrong and then who would save us." Cass comforted him with a pat on the shoulder. 

"Tt" Damian clicked, Tim sensed that Damian wanted to say more. 

Cassie informed him that she was going straight to bed when they got to the Manor, leaving Tim and Damian to fester in awkwardness. 

"Hey ugh, Damian I'm still pumped and can't exactly go to sleep yet. Wanna have a cup of tea with me?" Tim hoped he would say yes, they didn't even have to talk, he just missed Damian's company. 

Damian glanced away briefly before returning a smile. "Yes Timothy, I would like that."

"See you in the kitchen." Tim walked away awkwardly, not knowing if he should say anything else. 

_This will be fine, don't confront him or anything. Just be glad you don't have to avoid each other again._ Tim reasoned to himself. 

* * *

Tim had just finished brewing the pot when Damian came up from the cave. _Stop being an idiot and talk to him, you're a trained assassin, an Al Ghul. You do not run away and avoid people._

Tim carried the pot and cups on a tray and nodded his head for Damian to follow. He set it down on the coffee table in the main living room.

_Ah so he wants this to be a comfortable interacting or he would've just sat in the kitchen._

"I think we should use this opportunity alone to talk." He stated, not wanting to put it off any longer.

"O-okay" was all Tim could manage. 

"I would like to apologise for Sunday's dabacle-" 

"Damian I'm gonna stop you there and you're going to listen. I get why you rejected me when you first came to Gotham and I get everything that happened after. I forgave you. You did hurt me, you hurt me to the core. I made Robin into something after it was lost with Jason and I wake up one day to find it's not mine. The insults, the fighting, the remarks. It hurt. But I got over it. I got over it for the sake of all of us. I got over it because Bruce would make himself ill trying to put his family back together."

Tim breathed, knowing he'd been too hard on what Damian did wrong. "You were a product of your upbringing, I understood that. That's why it was easy to get along with you when I came here, you'd grown up, you weren't condescending, rude or arrogant. You were kind and welcoming. You went out of your way to be nice. That's the Damian I've grown to like, because at your core you're the same person, just without the spiteful overlay."

The hard face Damian had adopted softened a little. 

"I'm not innocent either, when you pushed I pushed back. I dismissed you because I saw you as a lost cause. Why should I have given you time if you were going to keep twisting the knife? I ended up hurting you as a result. Everything you did to change and I still dismissed you. I finally understood that when you confronted me about my hit list. Of course you were a threat but you weren't an enemy. I'm sorry for that. I should've tried for longer to crack your shell instead of cutting you off. I get it. What I don't get Damian is why you overreacted about not apologising for whatever before we got involved. Why was that such a big deal? I thought we'd be able to let it lie." 

"I just. I erm, I-" Damian was lost for words. For once he didn't have an immediate answer or solution. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. The warmth was relaxing. "When we kissed it all became a little real, and I guess I just panicked considering our history that it was foolish to think you would want to go any further. I thought you'd try then cut me off again at the first hurdle."

He looked down into his cup, ashamed at how childish his outburst seemed. 

"I am aware that you kissed me first, I am aware that you want to pursue this further but I stand by what I said. I should have apologised whether you wanted it or not before I changed the nature of our relationship. On Sunday I severely overreacted, making an mountain from a molehill as Grandfather would say."

Tim smiled at the mention of Alfred. 

"I behaved stupid and childishly and I've been avoiding you since. But I am glad everything has been put on the table." As he finished speaking, Damian drank the last of his tea, setting it down and turning to face Tim completely. 

"That was quite a speech." Tim laughed. 

"I felt it better to get it out in one go. You didn't do so bad yourself." Damian smirked, thankful that Tim was taking this well. 

"How about this Damian. I accept your apology for everything, we put it behind us and move on. Our entire relationship has been a complicated shit storm, we need to wipe the slate clean. Do you accept mine?"

"I... would like that too. I accept." Damian replied cautiously.

_Where is he going with this?_

"I came back to Gotham to get some of my life back and move forward with it, I don't want to live in the past. So I propose that we start us again. Completley fresh." Tim offered with a waving of his hands between the two.

"And how would w-" 

Damian was cut off by a set of lips. He melted into the kiss feeling the weight of the past days fade away. He moved his hand up to Tim's face. He caressed the perfect cheekbone that sat in his hand. Tim's hand curled round behind his neck, keeping him in close. 

"That was an adequate way of starting over." Damian huffed between breaths.

"So you'll be at work tomorrow and stop being a dick?" Tim questioned with a nudged to his shoulder.

"I will. We are taking things slow right? While I was fine with the pace we set before, perhaps we should exercise caution and slow down."

"Yes Damian." Tim confirmed as he got up. He bent to give the younger man a short kiss. "Good night."

Damian grinned to himself, _A new start. Taking things slow. Don't fuck it up this time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a day later than promised, I had a difficult time writing it.
> 
> If you have any criticisms or recommendations on how to improve my action writing then please comment them. I'd like to write more action further on.
> 
> You can expect the next chapter no later than the 25th :)


	8. Night out (mild smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is what I'd call a steamy and borderline smutty encounter in this chapter. So here's your warning. 
> 
> All graphic stuff will be in separate chapters.
> 
> I also had this written days ago but I moved some stuff round and had to re write.

"Damian! I called to say we'll be late but we can't take the piss."

After the late night mission, Tim and Damian had both slept in. Thankfully Cass woke them up just in time, and in true Alfred tradition: rudely. They were running nearly an hour late to work but Damian insisted on eating a proper breakfast and doing his stretches.

"Tt. We could have just taken the day off, and my body is a temple Timothy. It needs taken care of properly." Damian said after swallowing his last tiny bite of omelette.

"Yes, Yes we can take care of your body later but now we have to go." Tim grabbed him and shoved him from the dining room table. _Oh shit I done it again. Can I go one day without saying this shit?._

"If you crease my suit Drake, then I will spend the next thirty minutes ironing it again."

"The car, now!" Tim growled in his Red Robin voice. 

They bundled into Damian's mustang. Tim found the seats uncomfortable but Damian had insisted that if he drove them, they would get there faster. 

"I believe it is custom for the passenger to choose the music." Damian gestured to the center console.

"You wouldn't want to listen to what I listen to. You probably listen to classical music or whale noises."

"Timothy, I'll have you know that whale noises helped me study in college. But you are passenger, you pick the music."

Tim pulled out his phone and connected it to the cars Bluetooth.

_What music does he like? Does he even listen to music? I bet he just listens to Vicky Vale ramble every morning on her new breakfast show._

After failing to reason with his own thoughts he just clicked on the top of his playlists. The Clash blared out of the speakers. Damian raised an eyebrow at Tim but said nothing.

"Hey even B likes The Clash." Tim reasoned.

"I can't say I've ever heard this band specifically, I prefer more 00's rock. While classical music has its moments, I'm not an old man Timothy."

Tim's giggled "you surprise me everyday."

Damian grinned. "And I will keep on doing so." 

* * *

Traffic barely moved, they finally arrived to work two hours late. The work felt mundane today, all of Tim's research had been completed for his current project so today was just office busy work to prepare for the next massive task. 

_Damian was right we should've had the day off._

He crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it across the room at Damian's head. He caught the paper projectile one handed without looking up.

"I'm so booored." Tim whined.

"Tt, you're being childish it's nearly time to leave." he chided.

Tim leaned down and opened the minifridge that was built into his desk. "Zesti?" he offered holding a can up in the air.

Damian pulled a confused face. "What else do you have built into this room?"

Tim giggled, "is that a no?"

Damian skipped across the room and grabbed the can from Tim's hand. "So how do you plan to relieve yourself of boredom? Because all my work is done for today." 

Tim sighed "Dunno, there's a few things." He pulled Damian to him by his tie. Their faces lingered inches away from one another.

 _I'm tired of just waiting for this to happen, it's now or never I guess._ Tim thought as their lips brushed.

With a small yank of the tie, Tim crashed them together. They fought for control of each others mouth sloppily. Damian pushed them towards the desk, his hands curled under Tim's behind and hoisted him up to sit on the desk.

Tim's legs snaked around the younger man and pulled him down so he was laying flat on the desk with Damian on top of him. Damian ground his hips into Tim's rhythmically, illiciting small moans from him. Tim's hand gripped Damian's hair while the other still held the tie. 

Tim pulled his lips away and pulled on Damian's hair, making him expose a sweet spot on his neck that he proceeded to suck and bite at. "Tim, I thought we were taking things slow." Damian groaned.

"Fuck taking things slow." Tim said breathlessly as he went in for another kiss.

Tim unbottoned Damian's shirt and ran his hands up his abdomen, being sure to feel every inch of him. he stopped at his pecs and rubbed his nipples lightly. This evidently turned Damian on, it made him groan into Tim's mouth and thrust his hips harder. The friction of their erections grinding together was getting Tim closer and closer to climax; he was in a state of euphoria, he hadn't done anything like this in years. The euphoria however, was short lived because his office door swung open.

"Mr Drake, we need you to sign off on this then your done for toda- oh my."

There was no explaining his way out of this one. He laid there with a dishevelled Damian on top of him. "Hi Becky." he stated as casually as he could.

_Why did I say it like that?_

He nudged Damian off of him and neatened himself up a little. Damian was the first to break the awkward lull in the room.

"I will, uhhh go and make myself presentable." He said as he shuffled away to the hidden restroom, careful to walk behind Tim's desk rather than in front to hide his quite obvious erection. Damian did look a mess, his tie was the only thing keeping the shirt on his back. A bruise was forming where Tim had marked him and his lips were swollen and reddened. Tim was sad that he couldn't see the spectacle for longer. 

"Excuse him Becky, what did you need again?" Tim apologised with a glowing blush.

"Sorry for err, interrupting. You just need to sign this Mr Drake." Becky held out a summary of Tim's research. "Then you can leave. Everyone else is leaving early too. Anyway, what's half an hour when you live with the boss eh?" She finished with a nervous laugh.

After Tim was done, Becky thanked him over enthusiastically as he showed her out. Just before she left, she turned and whispered: "Don't worry Mr Drake I won't say anything." she gave a small eyebrow raise before hurrying out.

"You can come out now Damian."

Damian peeked out the restroom looking proper again. "It seems we got a little carried away, perhaps we shouldn't do that again in future."

"Are you kidding that was the hottest thing I've ever done. We should do it more often."

"Timothy Drake. Do you like getting caught? Does it turn you on?"

"Maybe." Tim smirked. 

* * *

The next day Tim was booked into meetings all day, and he had to work the full day rather than the usual half day. So no michiveious antics could take place, causing mutual disappointment between the boys.

They both just wanted to crash after getting home but were ambushed by an angry Stephanie Brown. 

"TIMOTHY! JACKSON! DRAKE!" she screamed at Tim. He was barely in the door. She punched him in the gut then pulled him into an unbearably tight hug. "Three weeks you've been back and you haven't texted me or anything."

"Would you have answered if I did." Tim choked out. 

"No I won't put my life on hold for you, even if you did abandon me for years. 7 coffee dates in 2 years is not enough." Steph released him and patted down his shoulders. 

"So why are you here Steph? It's Friday and I want to go to sleep." 

"Tough shit Timmy. You and the demon child are coming out with me and Cassie tonight." Steph pointed towards Damian who was standing by the living room with Cassandra. "A new club in town is hosting a 00s club night and we're going to piss off Jason by taking our business there instead of the Iceberg Lounge."

"Do I have choice?" Tim asked anyway, already knowing the answer.

"No, now move it I'm gonna help you get ready. Lil' Batman is a big boy and he can sort himself out." Steph said with a smack to Tim's behind.

Tim turned to Damian "You're up for this?"

"Of course." Damian smiled "I could do with a night out, and offending Todd is just a bonus." 

* * *

Opening night offers and half price drinks managed to fill the club to capacity. The music wasn't very 00s and half of the patrons weren't dressed in theme. After a few pictures were snapped for everyone's instagram, Cassandra went and brought shots.

 _Ah yes, I'm going to enjoy the hangover tomorrow._ Tim thought as he swallowed a third shot of vodka. 

Cassandra and Steph were off in the restroom, or more likely waiting in a queue to go in. "Let's dance come on." Tim urged pulling at Damian's arm. 

"I don't dance very well Timothy." Damian shouted over the music.

"Bullshit, I've seen your shoes in your room. You can dance. Sooooo-" Tim picked up a shot and pressed it to Damians lips. "Come and dance with me."

Damian rolled his eyes and took the shot. Tim beamed and started to drag him by his hand to the throng of sweaty millenials. "For the record Timothy. I may be able to dance but I've never danced to this music."

They bounced into the ocean of people. Any fatigue and stress from the day melted away, replaced by a raw energy. They became one with the fray of limbs. Tim couldn't help but smile as he saw Damian let lose and enjoy himself. The boy's smile shined brighter than the strobe lights on the ceiling. 

He took the bucket hat from his head and popped it on Damian's head. He expected it to be thrown back at him, but he kept it on the whole night.

_I feel so.. Normal._

* * *

"Is this how Todd felt when he had that affair with a crowbar?"

Damian, Cassandra and Tim sat huddled around the kitchen breakfast bar. They all still wore last nights clothes, right down to Damian was still wearing the bucket hat. Tim had refused to pick his head up from the counter since downing nearly a pint of coffee. 

"That's funny." Cass stated with a blank expression.

"MORNING GANG!" Steph shouted from the kitchen doorway.

"Fuck you." Tim groaned. The feeling of his head being drilled promptly resumed with Steph's shouting. 

"You guys can't be drinking coffee. You need another alcoholic drink. So your blood alcohol level can drop off slowly." 

Tim raised his head off the counter and stared inquisitively. "Weirdly that makes sense but if you come near me with anything alcoholic, even hand sanitiser, I'll puke all over you. That's a promise." He returned his head to the cold marble. 

"So what's the plan for today, going into town? Training? What're we doing?" 

Steph bombarded them with questions resulting in a communal "ahhhhh" from the other three. 

Tim sighed internally, _This is going to be a long day..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie is 100% ThatGirl™
> 
> Next update in a few days time :)


	9. Presentation day (Smut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim is nervous to present his research to the WE board of directors. Damian isnt helping much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically all graphic sex, but if you choose not to read it, it does impact on the plot too much. But may be mentioned in non smut chapters

Monday. The day Tim was dreading. Today was the day the R&D department was presenting their battery project to the board of directors. Tim was presenting the technology side of the project, while his Co-workers would present the applications and manufacturing. Tim had to rush his speech prep on Sunday considering he'd gone out Friday and had been in no condition to work Saturday. 

"You're coming in with me. I'm not sitting in there with a bunch of old men by myself." Tim said with a nudge to Damian's shoulder as they walked to their office. 

"Depending on how old they are, I might be open to watching..." Damian wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

"You perv! I'm serious though, all you have to do is sit and look pretty, you are my assistant after all."

Damian recoiled, shocked. "I am not your assistant..." The realisation of his job responsibilities and the nature of his work hit Damian hard. "Oh god am I your assistant?" 

"You said you wanted work experience!" Tim threw up his hands. 

Damian clicked his tougue. "You're lucky I don't object to being a sexy assistant, or I'd quit right now."

"So is that a yes?" Tim set his large coffee down and sank into his chair. 

"If you want me there, then I'll be there. I thought you sat on the board years ago when father was gone anyway. I don't get why you're so nervous. It's not as if you're standing in their bedroom asking them on a date."

Tim smiled and shook his head. _Finally an answer to my question._

* * *

Tim and Damian took their seats at the back of the conference room. Directly opposite the screen which the presentations were showing on. Tim would be up second, followed by a colleague presenting the applications of the battery, then they would all sit and bounce any remaining questions round the room. It was not as formal as most would expect it to be, that was just how WE was run.

"I'll pass over now to one of our senior researchers. Mr Drake?" a voice called from the front of the room. Tim rubbed his palms down the front of his trousers before shuffling to the screen. He stood at the front like a deer in headlights and chewed his lip. After a few seconds something snapped inside Tim and he broke out into a confident speech. The nerves were gone in an instant replaced by charm and strength. 

He met Damian's gaze from across the room. Damian returned a smirk and a wink. Tim blushed a little but continued speaking without falter.

 _Let's see you perform with a little pressure._ Damian thought wickedly.

Damian pulled his pen up to his mouth and pretended to absent-mindedly chew on it. Tim locked eyes with him again. _Now's my chance_. With Tim still staring intently at him he slid the pen in and out of his mouth slowly, then ran his tongue over the end closest to his mouth.

Tim's cheeks burned dark red, even in the dim light of the room it was noticeable. He stumbled over his words. "Uhh..." he cleared his throat, "erm and shown here on the diagram we can see-." He recovered quickly but the blush persisted. Tim didn't look at him for the rest of his presentation. 

The table congratulated Tim with a small applause while he walked back to Damian. Tim shot him a look that probably meant to be a warning, but came off with much less conviction.

The last co-worker finished presenting and everyone pulled their chairs in further, ready to answer whatever curveball questions were thrown at them.

"You were so great up there Mr Drake." Damian whispered over to Tim. He pressed his thigh so it met Tim's.

"Mr Drake?" Tim whispered back.

"I am your assistant Mr Drake." he put extra emphasis on 'assistant'. "I aim to please." he slid his hand over to Tim's thigh and squeezed.

"Damian stop. Not here." Tim urged in a low quiet voice.

"Tt, you said you like being caught."

Damian moved his hand up further and cupped Tim through his clothes. Tim involuntarily thrust into it slightly. Damian flexed his wrist back and forth until he could feel Tim swelling under his hand. Tim breathed out a shaky breath and pulled at his collar. He was glowing scarlet.

_I really hope no one can see what I'm doing with my hand under this table._

Tim's length grew down his left trouser leg. The head protruded through the thin material. Damian cupped his hand over it and circled with his palm. Tim's mouth dropped open from sheer pleasure. A sound was muffled in his throat before it escaped.

_I bet he sounds beautiful in bed._

Damian felt a tiny wet patch under his palm from where Tim has started leaking pre cum. He slid his hand up and down the few inches he could hold through the material, squeezing at the end of every stroke to milk Tim of his pre.

"Mr Drake, can you explain more about the polymer the battery housed in?"

Tim's head snapped to face Damian, trying to warm him to stop. Instead Damian gave him a cheery smile and an extra hard squeeze of his cock making Tim visibly shiver.

"Yes, err it's a new polymer we designed a few years ago based on kryptonian tech-" Tim tried his very best to explain his answer but Damian's assault was punishing, he still stroked and squeezed even though all eyes were on them. "It it was designed to withstaaand extreme temperatures and it distributes heat evenly across the entire, ughh, surface. This is key to the-the batteries longevity because the heat no longer gets so highly concentrated at the connectors. Even LexCorp's latest batteries don't run as cool or efficiently. That's why we plan to sell to major car manufactureeers, we can dominate the market completely before LexCorp can." Tim's answer seemed to please, despite the stutters and near moaning throughout. He was burning up, his face felt like it was on fire.

The meeting was concluded and everyone was leaving. Tim made no motion to move though, just pretended to shuffle and organise his notes.

"You can't stay there forever." Damian teased.

"Well I can't leave like this." Tim almost sounded bitter.

Damian stood and gripped the back of Tim's chair "Put your notes over your wet patch and hobble back to our office." He leaned down to Tim's ear, "Mr Drake." Damian nibbled at Tim's earlobe and teased his tongue on the end of Tim's jaw. This was enough to jolt Tim into motion, he gathered up his papers and held them over the stain. Tim forced Damian to their office by his elbow.

He did not release Damian after closing their office door, instead he pulled him over to his desk where he dropped the papers.

"What the fuck were you trying to pull in there?"

"Well I was trying to pull on your dick but you wouldn't get it out so over the trousers had to do." Damian laughed at his own joke; Tim didn't find it amusing. "Let me make it up to you." Damian sunk to his knees, his demeanour changed into a more submissive and shy one. "Let me apologise... Mr Drake."

 _I hope I'm not taking the sexy assistant act too far,_ Damian thought to himself.

Tim's dick twitched at 'Mr Drake'. He looked down at Damian who was eyeing his bulge hungrily. Tim had never pegged Damian as a submissive type of guy. Tim unzipped his trousers and let them gather round his knees. Damian lunged forward and palmed Tim through his boxers. He hooked a few fingers into the waistband and yanked them down. Tim's cock sprung from the fabric cage and slapped down on Damian's face. A string of pre cum stretched along Damian's cheek.

For the first time Damian could see Tim's length in its full glory, not just though his underwear. It was shorter than Damian's own and circumcised, but no less perfect. His hair was trimmed neatly. His six inch length curved upwards from the middle. 

He licked up and down before sucking it into his mouth, his lips sealed tight around his glans. Damian pressed his tongue hard into the slit then flicked his tongue all over the swollen tip.

"Ahhhh yeah." Tim moaned.

Damian took this as his signal to go further. He engulfed as much of Tim as he could before pulling back up painfully slow. He continued this as a tortuous rhythm for a while before pulling away for air.

"Hey Damian."

"Yes sir?" Damian's voice was raspy.

"Can I uhhh, take charge?" Tim looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"I thought you'd never ask." Damian grinned and reshuffled on the floor.

Tim's eyes seemed to glow. He brought his hands up to Damians head and massaged over his scalp. The action was so tender for someone who just asked, in a stutter roundabout way, if their partner wants their throat to be fucked. "Smack my leg twice if you want to stop okay?"

Damian nodded and smirked, he knew what was coming. Tim shuffled forward and lined up his dick with the boy's mouth. Damian opened up obediently. He slid forward slowly to test the waters, seeing that Damian didn't gag prompted him to move faster, his hands gripped the back of Damian's head to keep himself steady. He moved faster, feeling the tip brush the back of the younger boys throat repeatedly.

After deciding that Damian could take it he slammed forward, sheathing himself fully in Damian so his nose was buried in the trimmed mass of black hair. Damian's throat spasmed as the back of his throat opened to accommodate him. His eyes welled up and darted up to meet Tim's.

Tim kept this position for a while before sliding himself back in fully. Again and again.

The movement was brutal, tears streaked down from Damian's eyes. Whenever their eyes locked Tim expected to see pain or humiliation, but his eyes contained only pure lust. Tim was edging closer and closer to climax. Every time Tim pulled back Damian's tongue flicked the underside of his dick.

"Dami I'm gonna cum - uh ughhh." Tim trailed of into a moan as he emptied himself into Damian's mouth. He eased his grip on Damian's head but did not leave it alone, instead he caressed his hair as the boy licked up the last morsels of cum. Tim closed his eyes in euphoria, Damian's tongue was over stimulating him way past orgasm. "Dami that was, that was amaz-" he was interrupted when Damian pressed his lips into Tim's. His eyes wide as he tasted a salty liquid being forced into his mouth by Damian's tongue. He fought back, returning his own cum and saliva back into the younger boy. Tim broke the kiss and observed his partner, just in time to see him swallow their obscene concoction. 

Tim awkwardly returned his underwear and trousers to his hips. Damian stepped away and adjusted himself, his erection was almost pulsated through the material. "I should, err, help you out with that." Tim smiled awkwardly and pointed Damian's admirably large bulge.

"Thank you but we have work to do." Damian smiled sincerely and made his way across the office to his own desk, leaving Tim dumbfounded.

"Are you sure because usually its a two way thing? You know you blow me, I blow you."

Damian chuckled "I'm well aware of how this usually works. I mearly wanted to please you and only you. I was the one who wound you up in the conference room." His voice was strained after the punishment received by his throat. 

Tim didnt quite know what to say. He never done it like this before. His previous partners always expected something back, they treated sex and all it encompasses as a transaction. One act in favour of it being returned in equal capacity. This was new to Tim. He felt spoilt. He felt special. 

"Dami, you're a very sexy assistant." Tim snickered.

"You are so very correct Timothy." 


	10. World's finest

The shrill ring of a phone jolted Tim from his daydream. Damian had left the office to go grab lunch, leaving Tim his own thoughts. It had been a few days since they fooled around in the very spot Tim was sitting. He had expected things to get awkward, or that Damian would try and distract him from work more regularly. But nothing else happened, leaving Tim slightly disappointed.

He looked over to the source of the ring: 'Kon' flashed on the screen.

_Oh man, I never did text him after the date!_

Tim picked up the phone and waited for Superboy to speak. 

"Hello... Krypton to Timmy?" Superboy teased over the phone after a brief silence. 

"Hi Kon."

"Is this a bad time?" 

"Nah, you caught me on my lunch break, Damian just went out to get some."

Conner laughed through the phone. "Did he get some from you the other week? You were meant to text me."

If blushes could be heard then Conner would've been deafened. "Not the other week no..." Tim squeaked out. It felt good to tell someone. Cass had been giving Tim and Damian knowing looks, but hasn't said anything directly.

"Haha go Tim! So are you two a thing now? Does he bring a knife to bed? Is it big? The knife not his-" 

"CONNER!" Tim interrupted. "Calm your shit, we're taking things kinda slow. Not real slow but no sex."

"Fine, keep your secrets, are you happy though Tim? Are you safe?" Superboy's voice was riddled in concern. Tim knew he would worry, he would often vent to Superboy when things were rough in Gotham, Damian often being the source of the problem. 

"Yeah, yeah I am Kon." Tim grinned to himself like a child. 

Damian poked his head round the office door. He had heard Tim speaking and didn't want to interrupt. Tim gave him a motion to come in but continued to speak to the phone. 

"Hey can I fly over tonight, Cassie is busy and I'd rather see you than listen to Bart talk for 3 hours about the history and future of cartoons. I miss you man." 

"I miss you too Kon." He confessed, "You can fly over at about six-ish but you can't stay over, it's a Thursday and unlike Titans, I have to work tomorrow."

Damian chewed his lip to suppress his jealously. He put on his best fake smile for Tim whenever he looked over. 

"Can you do me a favour before you come over, I'll text you the details later there's something I've got to do first." A plan was formulating in Tim's head.

_Damian's either gonna be so happy or so pissed off with me._

"Sure thing man. I'll see you later. I gotta go right now Bart and Jaime are up to something and Rose looks like she's gonna go full Deathstroke on them." Superboy rushed his goodbye and hung up.

Tim huffed a laugh and set about organising his favour. 

> **Contact: Clark Kent**
> 
> Hi is it possible I could borrow Jon tonight? I know it's a school night. Promise to have him home early.
> 
> Who is this? How did you get this number
> 
> Totally forgot, its Tim Drake. I have _everyone's_ number. Kon is coming over and I wanted to surprise Damian by getting Jon here. 
> 
> Lois won't be pleased. She doesn't like last minute plans interrupting her family dinners. 
> 
> Pretty please. It'd be **_super_** if he could be here. I promise I'll get Kon to drop him back at a respectable time.
> 
> What time? I'm saying yes but I might hear it tonight from Lois. 
> 
> 6pm. Conner can swing by, pick him up and bring him back for 9pm sharp.
> 
> Sounds good. It'll make Jon happy.
> 
> It's nice to hear from you Tim, the last few times I swung by the tower you didn't seem okay. 

Satisfied, Tim set his phone down and dug into his food. Damian had stayed quiet during the call, but Tim could tell his brain was working overtime about something. 

"Alright I give up, what's the matter with you? You've been poking that salad for 20 minutes and you haven't said a word." Tim scowled at the younger boy.

 _He may have grown up but he still looks like a 12 year old when he sulks_.

Damian sighed. "You'll probably thing I'm being childish but, there's no residual feelings between you and the clone is there? Because having an ex that's still wants you in my house is something I'm not particularly fond of."

Tim sighed, _every single time he's brought up._

"Me and Conner have never and will never be a thing. It's just something that B and Dick had convinced themselves was true. Although it will make coming out to them easier if they already think I was with Kon." Damian's face lit up, he tried to conceal it but he was a little too overjoyed about the situation. "Anyway... I have a surprise for you later."

Damian clicked his tongue in disdain but his lips still pulled into a tiny smirk. "I don't like surprises."

_I think you'll love this one._

* * *

"They're here!" Tim squealed as he leaped from the sofa. A crash outside signalled a super-landing on the gravel. Damian could hear Tim ushering in his guest. Guests? Damian's assassin trained hearing kicked in and he could hear another set of footsteps. 

_He said 'they're' here._ Damian remembered.

He got up to investigate the entrance hall. Tim was embracing his clone friend. But the other source of footsteps was nowhere to be seen. 

"Dami!" 

Damian was swept up into the air in an inescapable hug. One of kryptonian strength. He could recognise who was hugging him immediately. No one else Damian knew was this strong, this loud and called him 'Dami'. 

"Jon put us down!" Damian wined. 

Jon brought them back down to the floor, but did not release his grip. "I missed you, I haven't seen you in so looong."

"It's a school night. Did you sneak out?" Damian huffed as he caught his breath. 

"No, Tim arranged it."

Damian glanced over at Tim who was smiling at the two boys like a mother on Christmas day. "Surprise." Tim laughed. He ushered everyone into the living room. Damian grabbed Tim's arm and held him back. 

"Thank you Tim." Damian whispered as he pulled Tim into a kiss. 

"And here I thought you didn't like surprises." Tim replied with a smug grin. 

Jon and Conner heard the entire exchange from the living room. Jon perked an eyebrow up but decided not to say anything yet.

* * *

"So how much did Timothy sell his soul for to get you here?" Damian said to the younger Superboy. They had left the older boys to themselves and gone to fetch food from the kitchen. 

"Dad told me Tim wanted to surprise you. He did promise that he'd have me back before 9pm." he stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. "Even appealing to Superman's good nature and love of surprises can't get him to let me stay out on a school night." 

Damian chuckled. "I don't need your mother crashing into my house to collect her child."

"Im not a child Dami. I'm taller than you are now!" Jon retorted. "Although Tim did ask permission to have me over, I've read the texts they talked about me coming over like it was a play date." 

_He's right, definitely not a child anymore._

Jonathan had grown even more since Damian last saw him 2 months ago. He was the largest man in the house right now. Jon was nearly 17 but he was 6ft 3 and had more muscle than the other Superboy. He looked exactly like Superman, if Superman had wild untamed hair, chip dust on his chin and a suspected ketchup stain down the front of his shirt.

"Speaking of Tim..." Jon started with a mouthful of food. "When did you two start smooching?" 

Damian reddened a little. "It's been a few weeks."

"A few weeks? Did you even let him unpack?" 

* * *

They walked back to the living room with the food and drinks. Tim and the clone were splitting with laughter.

 _I cannot be outdone by a clone, I must make Tim laugh like that._ Damian resolved internally. 

Damian clicked his fingers at Titus, who took the command to move off the sofa. Taking advantage of the lull in conversation, Damian adopted a grave expression, "Let's address an issue right here." Everyone turned to where he was sitting and frowned. He looked to Jon who was licking his fingers clean of chip dust. "How is my Bat-cow?"

Conner squeaked a little laugh "Bat-cow?" 

Damian clicked his tongue. "Yes, Bat-cow. She has a brown patch that looks like a domino mask. And a star on her rear. I was unable to care for her so Jon took her to Ma's farm."

Conner looked at Damian confused. "I don't know about Bat-cow. The only cow that has a patch like that is called Dais-" 

Jon threw something at Conner to stop him from speaking. "What he means is... Bat-cow is fine but Ma calls her Daisy when anyone else is around." Jon finished the sentence with a grit of his teeth. 

Tim spoke up to change the subject. "So how are things at the tower?"

Conner sighed "It's been a little slow. Which means Bart is causing trouble for everyone. The rest of us have been chill recently, just training and taking the time to relax. We all know there'll be trouble soon so we're taking advantage while we can."

"How is Rose? I haven't spoken to her since she was last in Gotham." Damian queried.

"She's teaching Cassie to swordfight. Cassie said as soon as she's good enough she wants to challenge Diana." Conner scoffed "She'll get her ass kicked but we just nod and smile."

"Be sure to tell her I said hello when you return."

"Since when did you have friends?" Tim asked confusedly.

"Tt. I have friends! Besides affinity for swords, experiences with bad parenting and mutual distaste for pretty much everything means we're perfectly suited."

"Why don't you ask her on a date then?" Conner said with a fake smile. Tim choked on his drink and flushed red.

_If Jon heard me and Tim kissing earlier than he did too. So he wants to play huh?_

"I'd much prefer Ms Sandsmark..." Conner's face twitched a little and the fake smile faded.

Damian and Jon giggled at the older Superboy's mortified expression. _I hope the security camera caught that,_ he thought. 

* * *

They spoke for hours about everything and nothing. School, Titans, work... As introverted as Damian was he enjoyed the company for once. He even felt sad that Jon had to leave. 

Tim and Damian showed the two Superboys to the door. Tim hugged both of them. Damian would've settled for a small nod but Jon insisted on a hug. 

"Text more often!" Jon commanded. 

After Jon released his grip Conner offered his hand out to Damian. He took it, expecting his hand to be crushed. Kon pulled the young man in closer to speak quietly into his ear "He seems happier now. Don't hurt him." 

"I wouldn't dream of it." Damian whispered back. 

The Superboys stepped out far into the driveway and with a wave they took off into the sky. "Thank you again Tim." Damian hugged his arm around Tim. They stood at the open door looking over the city. 

"You really prefer Cassie over Rose?" 

Damian snorted "I prefer you, and Kent knows that."

Batgirl stood behind the boys. "I prefer Rose." Tim jumped out of his skin and stumbled forward. She tilted her head in confusion before pulling her cowl over her head. "I am going on patrol, I'll be back in the morning. Are we good for the morning Damian?" 

"Yes I will be up early." Damian replied thin air. Cass had already disappeared.

"What's happening in the morning?" Tim asked. 

"Dance. We have been slacking on our usual schedule."

"Can I watch, maybe take a few pictures?" 

"Of course you can Timothy. But it'll be early and I know an alarm has trouble waking you as it is."

"Sleep is for the weak." Tim snarled comically. 

"I could always wake you up myself. If I was in your bed." A devilish grin spread across Damian's face. He pulled the front door shut and giggled as he took Tim's hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smutty next chapter being written right now. Should be tommorow or the day after. 
> 
> I would like to say as a disclaimer that I absolutely ship TimKon. But just not for this story. I went down the best friends route.
> 
> Massive headcanon of mine that Lois and Clark are extremely overprotective of Jon.


	11. Euphoria (Smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very graphic sex ahead.
> 
> Like before, you can skip over this chapter of you're not into smut and you won't miss much. Just some great sex and a little fluff.

Tim lead the way up the stairs to his room. They practically ran through the hallway. He could feel his heart beating in his throat, the euphoric feeling like in the office took over, only the feel of Damian's hand in his own tethered him to reality. 

Damian slammed him into the door after closing it, he bit and sucked on Tim's neck. His hands pinned the older boy's wrists above his head.

"I don't - ugghh - want to have sex tonight." Tim groaned, "anything else but I'm not ready for sex.'

Damian pulled away and released his grip on Tim's wrists, "that's fine, whatever you desire." he pulled his tshirt off with one fluid motion then proceded to tug at Tim's own shirt. They crashed their lips together, Damian's tongue snaking his way in. Tim gripped his neck, pulling him impossibly closer, while Damian's hands traversed downwards. He kissed down Tim's windpipe, following the path his hands took he licked each ab muscle until he was kneeling before the older man.

"Nuh uh." Tim tutted, he held under Damian's jaw as he brought the boy back up to eye level. "My turn tonight." He pushed the boy across the room and onto the bed. His legs dangled over the edge. Tim grabbed his jogging bottoms and pulled, exposing his smooth legs and obvious erection. It strained in his briefs.

Tim removed his own trousers and underwear. Freeing his erection to the cool air. He knelt between the younger boys spread legs and mouthed over the fabric. Teasing his trapped, throbbing length.

"Tt, stop tormenting me Timothy." Damian whined.

Tim obliged, he hooked a thumb under the waistband and pulled freeing Damian from his material prison. He stood again and gazed over the boy.

He was indeed hairless everywhere, which only made his dick look bigger. The veined organ stood to attention. Begging to be touched again. Tim gawked over his partner, even dishevelled and needy as he was right now, Damian was beautiful to Tim. His dark skin glistened with a thin layer of perspiration.

"You're so beautiful." Tim confessed as he sunk between his legs again. Damian whined and twitched, the anticipation was torturous. Tim curled a hand round the base of his cock, feeling it twitch and pulse under his grip. Tim's slender fingers just barely met. He pumped his hand up and down in long strokes. He kissed the tip, and swirled his tongue under his foreskin. His spit mixed with the beads of pre cum that began to ooze from his slit. 

Satisfied that there was enough lubrication Tim slid his hand up Damian and focused solely on the head of his cock. His retracted his foreskin back and spread his spit over the head. Twisting his wrist loosely in a corkscrew motion. He sucked on Damian's smooth balls while his hand assaulted his glans. 

"Huuhhhh" Damian moaned indignantly. He clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle any more sound escaping. 

"Stop, let me hear you. It turns me on." Tim commanded. Damian pulled his hand back and gripped the sheets. It was indeed turning Tim on, a stream of pre cum dropped down his own dick. He scooped it up with a finger and pressed it against Damian's hole. The younger boy bucked his hips up into Tim's hand, exposing himself even more. 

"Do it" Damian begged through gritted teeth. 

"Knees up" Tim ordered, He compiled immediately, bringing his knees up towards his chest, exposing his smooth ass cheeks to Tim. He dived forward, his tongue pressed flat into Damian's opening, driving spit forward. Damian whimpered as Tim licked and tasted him. Once he was slick Tim pressed a finger into him all the way to the knuckle. 

"Ahh Tim. More!" Damian mewled. 

Tim indulged his request and forced another finger into him. Damian accommodated both with ease.

Tim sucked Damian's length into his mouth, he sunk as much as he could into him before his throat wretched and he was forced back up. Undeterred he continued, he focused his stimulation on the tip. Flicking his tongue across the frenulum. 

Tim pumped his fingers into Damian until he found his target. He pushed in and grazed his fingers over the boy's sweet spot. Damian's dick tensed and spasmed in Tim's mouth. A strangled moan escaped Damian. Tim pressed and stroked his prostate over and over.

"Tim I'm gonna, uhhh, gonna cum. TIM!" Damian squealed and bucked his hips as he came in Tim's mouth. Tim's mouth filled quickly, trails of cum dropped for the corners of his mouth.

 _Payback time for him sharing in the office!_

He detatched his mouth and fingers from the exhausted boy and plunged his tongue back in Damian. He injected Damian with his own hot seed, spreading in and around his opening, then pressed his fingers back in and resumed teasing his prostate. 

Damian squirmed and writhed up the bed. He was over stimulated and breathless. Every nerve in his body tingled and pulsed. Tim teased and prodded Damian's sweet spot until his refractory period was up, keeping him hard for the next round. 

He withdrew his fingers and Damian moved up the bed, his head was now resting on the pillows. Tim crawled up between his legs, their erections slid over each other, slick from the pre cum that had been leaking from Tim. Their lips met again, this time was gentle and not rough. Damian tasted himself in Tim. Their cocks glided together in Tim's slender hand. The difference in their respective sizes was obvious.

_Damn he must have at least two inches on me! It's huge._

His nails scraped down Tim's back as he came again. "Fuck Tim." He spilled into Tim's hand and onto his stomach. Tim spread the cum over their two lengths, using it as lube. The obscene wet sound sped up as Tim stroked him self to climax and Damian into euphoric over-stimulation. 

Tim came with a growl, shooting his seed up onto their stomachs and over his hand. He collased next to Damian as they caught their breath. They laid in their feelings and afterglow for a few minutes.

"Timothy. I believe I am leaking." 

Tim chuckled, "bathroom is over there." 

Damian hopped off the bed and awkwardly waddled to the bathroom. Tim grabbed some tissues and wet-wipes from his dresser and cleaned himself up. He bundled the soiled sheets into a pile and fetched new ones from his wardrobe. 

Damian returned and climbed behind Timothy, curling his arms round him to pull him close. His nails traced circles over Tim's abdomen. It gave Tim a strange fuzzy feeling, he'd never been held like this before.

"We will have sex eventually, I just wasn't ready for it tonight. I hope that's okay." Tim whispered. 

Damian kissed the back of his neck softly. "Don't explain yourself. We'll do it when you're ready. We don't even have to do anything Timothy. We could sit in bed and binge true crime documentaries for all I care."

"And solve the case before they do?" 

Damian breathed a laugh into Tim's neck "Why else would we watch them? Get some sleep Tim." He reached over and turned off the lights. 

"Night Dami."

_I could get used to this._


	12. Promotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly 1700 hits! And getting close to 100 kudos
> 
> It'd be naive to think every hit was someone who's read this. but to all my loyal readers, everyone who gave kudos, everyone who comments...
> 
> Thank you for reading. There's still a lot more story to tell so I hope you stick around.

It was odd for Tim to wake up next to someone. It was hot first and foremost, like sleeping next to a radiator. Damian nuzzled Tim's neck and curled his arms round as he began to wake.

"Tim." Damian whispered before planting a soft kiss on Tim's neck.

"I'm awake." Tim replied, tilting his neck into the pillow to give Damian better access. He was barely awake, the sun had just began to rise so his room was still dark. The only substantial light came from his alarm clock. 5:31am it read.

"You don't have to come down if you don't want to, I know you like your sleep."

"No I want to. What time are you gonna start?" Tim's voice sounded less tired as he woke up more.

"Cassandra will still be awake. But I need a quick shower and I'll put the coffee machine on for you. Let's say a 6 o'clock start." Damian planted little kisses on Tim's neck and behind his ear as he spoke.

"Mmm sounds good."

Damian reluctantly pulled away and rolled out of bed. Suddenly Tim missed the blazing heat. He stumbled about the room and found his briefs. After hearing the door click open and shut, Tim rolled into the hot spot Damian had left and curled into it.

 _Right let's get to it. Camera, clothes and downstairs. It's not difficult_.

It was extremely difficult. Tim groaned everytime he moved away from the warmth Damian had left behind. He looked to the clock to see how much time he'd wasted.

_Damn, 5:43? Fucking hell! Why did he have to be so warm._

He huffed a breath and swung himself out of bed and into the cold. Switching on a light he bumble through the room and to the toilet. "Should've stayed in bed." he yawned. He searched among the mass of clothes on the floor and found Damian's t-shirt, which still smelled of him a little, and his own jogging bottoms.

_I could have a shower now but I'll have one after breakfast ready for work._

He found his camera on his desk where he'd had it on charge for weeks and left his wreck of a room behind. 

The divine smell of fresh coffee energised Tim. A steaming cup sat with a note propped up against it on the counter. Exactly like it was weeks ago when Tim and Damian shared their first kiss. 

Hot, dark and a little bitter. Just like me! - D

Tim chuckled to himself while shaking his head. He pocketed the note and made his way to the dance hall. 

* * *

He took a seat at the edge of the room and watched Damian and Cass stretch. 

Damian had an old pair of grey leggings on, the stitches littered over them meant they were an from an old Robin costume. He wore an old thinned tshirt that had a band of material ripped from the bottom, turning it into a crop top. He gave Tim a sweet smile before moving over to the barre and assuming his position. Cassandra hit play on some piano music Tim could not name and moved to stand in front of him. 

"Battement tendu devant from first position." Cassandra ordered.

Tim did not understand in the slightest, he never did learn French despite living and training there for a while. They had started to move. Their legs brushed along the floor to the front of them then back. 

Tim set aside his coffee and turned on his camera. Making sure the flash was off, he snapped a photo while their arms were mid rotation. He remained completely silent, Tim didn't even dare to breath too loud. By the time they finished their barre exercises, Tim must've got fifty shots in various positions of sweeping arms and extended legs.

"We're going to cut the center exercises shorter today, I'm starving and tired" Cassandra spoke directly to Tim. "We'll only be another 15 ish minutes."

"Sure thing. I've already got some great shots." Tim responded.

They practiced and danced for a short while before Cassandra motioned for Damian to come to the corner of the room. It was well out of earshot for Tim, but by the way Cass was snapping her fingers she was counting. She moved alone across the room, twirling into earshot. 

"Chaînés. 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6. Then Pirouette 1 and 2 and 3. Double Chaînés and finish." she finished elegantly and stood for a moment. Tim took the time to snap a picture of the pose. "Got it?" she asked Damian. 

He nodded and readied himself. His shoulders pulled back and repositioned his legs. Cassandra clicked her remote and music filled the room again. Damian took a breath then began to move. As he twirled he could feel Tim watching him through his lens. He couldn't mess up while Tim was here. 

Tim watched in awe as Damian flowed across the floor. Every twirl was executed with precision and grace. He stepped forward lightly twice before whirling himself around. His leg was perpendicular to his body, his foot pointed out. At that speed, Tim was sure it could cut through anything.

Tim was disappointed that he couldn't experience it properly, but his disappointment was eased by the fact he could immortalise this moment with his camera. It was unlike anything Tim had seen Damian do. 

Damian's fighting was brutal, animalistic, it got the job done quickly and efficiently. His dancing was the perfect opposite, the movements were fluid and delicate. Every arc and rotation of his limbs took its time and wasn't rushed. 

He landed in the same pose Cassandra took and held it. Cassandra switched the music off and burst into applause. "Well done!" She exclaimed. Tim joined in with a light applause. 

Cass answered Tim's question before he could ask it. "It's something we've been working on getting right." She smiled and reached up to ruffle Damian's hair, "Soon we can get rid of the counts because you'll just know." Damian stood like a child and let the shorter girl ruffle his hair. 

"How long have you been teaching him then?" Tim asked. 

"About a year. He's a quick learner and it helped that he's already flexible." Cass smiled brightly, "I'll go start on breakfast and leave you two to it." 

"So did you get some good shots?" Tim offered his camera to Damian as an answer. He clicked through them with a poker face.

_Could he at least give me something to see if he likes them or not._

"I like this one, beautiful photography Timothy." Damian congratulated as he handed the camera back. 

_That is a damn good piece of art._ Tim thought as he looked over his work. Damian had taking a liking to a picture of himself mid pirouette. "Not as beautiful as you." Tim's brain to mouth filter slipped. Damian laughed and bent down to kiss Tim's forehead. 

"Come on, I know that if I don't help Cassandra with the cooking then she will ruin it. No one but me and Todd can cook sufficiently." Damian held out his hand for Tim to take. 

* * *

They finished up eating the breakfast Damian salvaged and Cass excused herself to go to sleep. She did not look at all tired but had not been to sleep after patrol. 

"We should probably get ready for work." Damian stated as he finished washing up. 

Damian grabbed Tim's hand and started to lead them upstairs. "Shower Timothy. We will blast through today and curl up with a movie later." Damian went to release his hand when they arrived at his bedroom door but Tim refused to let go. 

"Shower with me?" Damian smiled but still looked apprehensive. "No funny business I promise, I haven't got the hand rails for it." 

Damian breathed a laugh through his nose, "Fine, can I grab my clothes and a towel at least. Or must you keep an iron grip on me?"

Tim let go of his hand "I would handcuff us together, try explaining that to the office."

"Yes Timothy, I'd love to explain your kinks to our coworkers." He rolled his eyes and entered his bedroom. 

* * *

They entered Tim's room and Damian dropped his garment bag onto the bed. It dawned on Tim how awkward undressing in front of each other outside of sex charged scenario might be.

_What if he doesn't like that I've lost muscle mass? Or that I'm a little small when I'm not hard?_

While Tim was overthinking Damian had started undressing. Tim blushed and looked away. "You know, you look great in crop tops." Tim joked, hoping it would alleviate the awkwardness. 

"You look great in my tshirt." 

The red on Tim's cheeks deepened. _You're the one who suggested this, and you can't get in the shower fully clothed._

He pulled the tshirt over his head and threw it at Damian. He took a deep breath and pulled his tracksuit bottoms down, in his morning rush, Tim had forgone his underwear. Damian's gaze never left him as he undressed. A soft smile graced his lips, he hoped it would put Tim at ease. 

As they looked over each other and Damian noticed little things about Tim's body he hadn't noticed in the heat of sex. The faded scar of where his spleen was. The tiny smattering of black hair on his chest looked incredibly dark against his pale white skin and soft pink nipples. He noticed how slender Tim was despite the muscle. 

"You're so beautiful." Damian whispered. Tim's face flushed and he looked away. Damian stepped forward and held Tim's jaw in his hand, turning his head up to face him. "You really are." he whispered again before planting a small kiss on Tim's cheek. Tim felt all warm inside, Damian showering him with compliments put his worries to bed. 

They entered the bathroom and Tim turned the shower on to heat up, Damian was nosing through Tim's toiletries and inspecting the room. 

"How come your bathroom and bedroom are both bigger than mine?" Damian smiled as he said it, but his bratty attitude was creeping out. 

"Because I was here first. You should see the size of Jay's room. He has an entire library in there." Tim laughed and waved the younger boy into the shower. 

"And here I thought I was the favourite." 

* * *

They journeyed to work listening to the ramblings of the Gotham Gazette radio station. 'Major restructure of Wayne Enterprises puts share price at an all time high.' Tim was relaxed and felt cleaner than ever after Damian inststed on washing him, having his hair washed and his scalp massaged by Damian was a trancendant experience.

"What are we doing at work today?" Damian asked as they pulled into the underground carpark at WE. 

"That's funny you should ask." Tim gave him a toothy grin as they stepped out the car. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, you know that WayneTech, Electronics and Biotech are now reorganised under the Wayne Research Institute?", Damian's eyes burned into the Tim, searching for answers. "I'm going to be the director of the Wayne Research Institute. The entire branch!"

Damian scowl faded and a look of admiration came over him. "That's fantastic, how long have you known?"

"I don't, not officially anyway. I'm hacked into the network, so I set a alert so whenever my name pops up I know what's going on. Turns out Lucius has put my name forward to be the director. I can't believe he has that much power to make those decisions."

Damian clicked his tongue, "Timothy just because Lucius puts your name forward, it doesn't mean you're guaranteed the job." Damian hit their floor button on the lift panel. 

"Of course it does. The board of directors is a formality, because Bruce owns 51% of the shares, all decisions come down to him. He appointed Lucius to manage the business so all final decisions are now down to Lucius. He defers decisions to the board, but they're not needed."

They stepped out the lift as Tim finished but Damian didn't answer until they were in their office. "So what does this have to do with work today?" Damian said setting down his bag on his desk. 

"I'm having lunch with Lucius today. So I suspect I'll be offered the position." Tim reached under his desk and grabbed a Zesti. 

"How long have you known?" Damian perked an eyebrow. 

"Two weeks. I didn't want to say anything just in case it got overruled. I would be ousting 3 other directors, they'll technically be demoted to senior managers." 

Damian sat down and scowled at his computer. 

"You could be a little more happy for me." Tim chided, noticing Damian's distinct lack of happiness or pride. 

"Of course I'm happy for you, this is a fantastic opportunity for you, but where do I stand Timothy?" Damian looked genuinely worried. Tim softened his expression. He hadn't taken into account how Damian would feel about this. 

"You can have this office and I'll promote you to a researcher. We could still have lunch together most days and I don't plan on being completely hands off so I'll be around the labs and stuff." His words had his desired effect on Damian, he seemed to relax a little, now knowing not much would change. 

"How do you plan on sitting on the board when you got nervous infront of them the other day?" Damian wore a mischievous grin. 

"It's different trying to impress them. Now I'll have people impressing me." Tim threw a pen batarang style at Damian, it was easily dodged by the younger boy. 

"People will talk you know. I'm fresh out of college, have been working here just over a month and I'm getting promoted." 

Tim gave Damian a sarcastic look. "If you can't get preferential treatment when your Dad is the owner and you're fucking the other boss. Then when can you get preferential treatment?" Damian chucked a little. 

Tim continued: "Seriously though, you've done great work since you've been here and it's been noticed by everyone, sure you might have a fast tracked promotion but its not completley undeserved... Besides, everyone knows I've only been back in Gotham for a few weeks and I'm getting a senior position in a company, I'm the one people will have the problem with."

Damian got up and walked over to Tim's desk. "I don't deserve a boss like you." he kissed Tim lightly, tasting the Zesti on his lips. 

"You're right." Tim started "inappropriate advances like that might get you fired." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been really productive lately so writing this was a little difficult. I usually like to update every 5 days or under. Not over a week like this time. It was writing, rewriting, deleting ect. 
> 
> This chapter was meant to be three times the size but I settled on splitting it up to give myself an easier task. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed it. Being naked infront of your partner in a non sexual way can be wierdly frightening. You dont see or pay attention to some things during sex.


	13. Celebrations - part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Following Jason for a bit in this chapter (s)
> 
> This chapter is split: story-smut-story. To keep my promise of keeping smut chapters separate.

Jason taped up the last storage box and took a moment to sit down. He was cleaning up a Robin Nest that he claimed from Tim. Jason and Roy had stayed here for a few months working on cases. With all the lab technology Tim had here, Roy was in his element. He stayed up into the early hours tinkering with new ideas and inventing new weaponry. 

_This is the last of it._ Jay thought as he wiped a tear. He wasn't one to cry, but when it came to his best friend, he couldn't help it. It had been over a year since Roy died and Jason had been putting off clearing this place out, knowing it had the last of Roy's possessions.

 _Get it together Red Hood!_ He demanded of himself. He picked up the last box and hauled it to his car.

_Tim can make use of this tech. He can make some fancy project with appropriated Tamaranean goodies._

He drove off and headed towards the Manor, only stopping to buy cigarettes. His anxiety spiked anytime he thought about his childhood home. The wealthy childhood home, not the drug den, cold alley or children's home. With Alfred gone, the soul of the house had faded. 

Bruce wasn't much of an issue anymore, old age had tamed him and he tried his best not to argue with Jason anymore. They had agreed that Bruce would turn a blind eye to Jason killing the most serious criminals outside of Gotham, but Jay was on a strict kneecap policy within Gotham boundaries. Their fragile agreement rarely came into practice. Jason had settled back in Gotham, he hadn't left in years. He knew he was closely monitored by Bruce. All the cameras inside the Lounge were sniffed out and disposed of, but the ones outside were still at large. He hadn't taken a life in years, and he felt good about it. 

Jason was a little excited to see Tim after all this time, he couldn't wait to tease him with the photos Rose had sent him, but more importantly he could wait to give him a hug. 

Roy was gone. Artemis and Bizarro were gone. Starfire and Bunker went back to the Titans. Jason didn't have much outside of his 'family', Tim had always understood and accepted Jay in a way that many people never did. Tim never expected him to be anything, act a certain way or behave well. Tim just enjoyed him as he was. 

He pulled up to the drive and flicked his cigarette out the window. He gripped the steering wheel and tapped his fingers. _Just go in. Just go in._

Jason stepped out of the car and up to the door. Holding his finger to the scanner the light turned green and he rushed himself inside.

 _See? You're in._ He congratulated internally, closing the door lightly behind him. 

Jason immediately regretted walking into the house quietly. He should've announced he was here. It would've spared his poor innocent eyes.

* * *

Damian waited in the office anxiously. He'd barely touched his food, all he could think about is Tim and his potential job offer. Tim was so sure he'd be offered this position, it'd crush him if that wasn't the case.

Tim burst into the room and struck a Superman pose. "You will address me as Director." He beamed at the younger boy who leapt from his chair and swept him up into his arms.

"I'm so happy for you Tim." he kissed Tim deeply, not caring who might see through the open door.

"Come on let's go home. Champagne to celebrate?" Tim said as he was lowered down to the floor.

Damian pressed their lips together again, "I can think of a better way..."

He texted the cleaners on their way to the car, telling them to come tommorow and he'd pay extra for their inconvenience. 

Damian kept reaching over to grope Tim's crotch all throughout the ride home, but Tim kept swatting his hand away, he was sensible, he knew that Gotham traffic was dangerous even with two hands on the wheel. They slammed the door behind them and Tim ran off to the kitchen. He swiped two flutes from the cupboard and a bottle of champagne. He returned to Damian in the living room and waved the bottle. 

"To me..." He popped the cork out of the bottle and haphazardly poured the contents into the glasses. "The new director of the Wayne Research Institute and your new boss!" 

Damian chuckled as he took the glass being professed to him. "To you, Timothy." the clinked their glasses together and took a sip. "Anyway...." Damian pushed Tim down onto the couch then downed his entire glass. "We have the house to ourselves, I checked, so I can congratulate you properly."


	14. Celebrations - part 2 (smut)

Damian straddled Tim and pulled him into a deep kiss. He ground his hips into Tim's lap. Tim grew and hardened from the friction. He fumbled and pulled the buttons of Damian's shirt apart. He ran his hands over the younger boys pecs and squeezed. He traced his thumbs over Damian's dark nipples, causing him to moan into Tim's mouth.

"Stop I'm meant to be pleasuring you."

Tim nipped Damian's neck with his teeth before teasing: "I can't help it." 

Damian clicked his tongue and pushed Tim back into the chair. "Relax." he purred. Damian traced his hands down Tim's front before ripping his shirt open. Button flew across the room. Tim gasped as the air hit his chest. Damian scrapped his nails down Tim's torso. He slid off the chair and settled between Tim's legs.

He unzipped Tim's trousers and freed his erection. He swallowed it hungrily. All dignity or thoughts of how he may look went out the window. Tim tipped his head back and groaned. Damian sucked for a while then pulled off Tim with a wet 'pop' sound and glided his hand over Tim's slick cock. 

Damian reached for Tim's half full flute of champagne. "Slide down a little." Tim obliged and wiggled down into a position between laying and sitting.

Damian held the glass up by Tim's neck and dribbled the contents out. He lapped up the champagne with his tongue. Licking from Tim's belly button right up to his collarbone. He cleaned up every drop before sinking his head back down onto Tim's throbbing length. "Oh. Ahh yeah." Tim stuttered. 

Tim spread out and allowed himself to be pleasured. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the feeling. Damian's blissful mouth was working hard. 

Damian pulled off once more before dripping the last contents of the glass directly down Tim's dick. He promptly swallowed the entire length of Tim sucking the champagne up. Tim moaned Damian's name and held his head as he thrust up. "Fuck Damian."

"Oh fucking hell!" a new voice shouted from the living room door. 


	15. Celebrations - part 3

"Jay! My god." Tim begged. He had flushed burning red, there was no way of explaining this. 

Jason stood dumbfounded at the doorway. He laughed nervously and tilted his head in confusion. Tim pushed himself back into his trousers and pulled a warning face at Damian who was stifling a laugh.

"I can come back later if now is a bad time, it was stupid coming here anyway. I'll just go." Jason started for the front door.

"Wait Jay don't go." Tim called after him and ran to catch him before he left. He stopped but his hand remained on the door handle.

"I'm going to umm... Go and leave you and Timothy to it." Damian anounched from behind them. He handed Tim his own shirt that still had its buttons attached. Damian left up the stairs.

"Jay, Listen I-." Jason held up a hand to stop Tim.

"I need a smoke." Jason released his hard grip on the door handle and walked past Tim and through the living room. "And I'll have a glass of Bruce's good champagne if there any left in the bottle and not over you." he shouted back.

* * *

Tim met Jason outside in the garden. He'd replaced his own shirt with Damian's and brought Jason the rest of the bottle, knowing a glass would not fulfill him.

"Ahh you know me so well." Jason said as he took the bottle from Tim's hand.

"Smoking kills you know."

Jason snorted. "I smoke menthol now its fine."

Tim chose to ignore that and sat down on the wall next to Jason. _What the hell do I say now?_ he thought. He elected to go with the difficult question first.

"So uhhh, how much did you see?" Tim questioned.

Jay breathed a laugh through his nose. "Just the... you know." he made a crude motion with his hands. He mimicked pouring the drink then bobbed his head making a slurping noise. Then mimicked holding a head and thrusting.

 _You have got to be kidding me!_ Tim pushed his palms into his eyes and whined.

"Calm down Timmers. I've seen worse." Jason chuckled a little but it didn't seem to ease Tim's embarrassment. "So how long have you two been banging?"

"Well we have kinda been getting closer since I got back." Tim confessed.

Jason blew smoke from the corner of his mouth and scoffed. "Jeez, did he even let you unpack."

"You're not mad? You know considering the situation." Tim analysed Jason's face to detect any lies.

"Tim, when it comes to me and you. We don't judge eachother on anything. Can't say I'm not suprised though. You and the brat is one I definitely didn't see coming." Jason snaked his arm round the smaller boy and pulled him into a half-hug. Over the years, Jason had become much more tactile.

"Thanks Jay." Tim knocked his head on the large man's shoulder.

"It could've been worse Tim. Could've walked in while you two were actually fucking. Then I would've left and moved to Blüdhaven." Jason felt Tim tense up.

"I haven't done that in a long time. I've been avoiding talking about it." Tim confessed.

"Well now my big brother duty is to tell you that you should talk to him about it or some bullshit like that, he does seem... Enthusiastic about you. You don't slurp champagne off just anyone's cock."

_Damn he's good at this big brother shit when he want to be._

Jason took a gulp from the bottle. "So why the champagne? Is it a rich person thing, gonna eat caviar from his belly button? Or a celebration? Also your thing didn't go anywhere near this bottle right?"

Tim giggled "No just the glass. Celebration. I got a massive promotion." Jason hummed his congratulations. "Hey, you want to stay for an early dinner. Fucks knows where Cass disappears to all the time so it might just be us three."

Jason stayed silent for a long time, like he was arguing the point with himself. He heard Jason exhale hard before saying "Sure. As long as you don't actually plan to eat off him."

"Damian will have to keep you company for a bit. I, ugh, need to shower."

Jason huffed a breath. "Now you're asking for trouble."

* * *

They walked back to the Manor and escaped the cold. Tim left Jason in the living room and bounded up the stairs to find his partner.

He poked his head round Damian's bedroom door and grinned. "All good, Jay is staying for dinner."

Damian clicked his tongue. "Is that a good thing?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "Yes it is, don't be a prick. You need to go down there and keep him company while I shower...Some incredibly hot employee of mine made me all sticky."

Damian rolled off the bed and walked to kiss Tim. "It wouldn't be the first time would it?"

Tim gave a soft smack to his behind as he walked off. Earning him a blush and a smirk from the younger man. 

* * *

Tim returned from his shower to find Jay and Damian laughing of the sofa. His anger had subsided and mellowed over the years. Jason slowly re-integrated back into the family and built solid bonds with nearly everyone. The angry 18 year old boy who came back to Gotham with a bloodlust was a far cry from the mostly-friendly big brother laughing and joking with Damian on the couch. 

"Its still wierd to see you two not fighting." Tim joked as he sat opposite them.

"Timothy, we've found something else have in common." Damian smiled.

"And that is..." Tim pressed.

"You."

Jay spoke up: "Basically anything funny you did at the Tower, Rose would send straight to me." Tim's mouth dropped open. "Ooo you'll love this one." Jason turned the phone to Damian and they burst out laughing again.

"Oh Timothy this is so cute. I can't believe you cut all that hair off. It must've came down to your shoulders." Damian giggled.

Jason turned the phone to Tim. What they were laughing at was a picture of Tim with samurai inspired hair, pulled into a ridiculously tight bun and two thin stands of hair dangled down the front of his face. It was a screenshot from security footage, but Tim could not recall seeing this on the security server, nor could he remember what he was doing with hair like this.

_Jay said Rose found this funny?_

As if on cue Jason spoke up: "That's not the funniest part, look at the video this was taken from."

_Oh no._

Tim rounded the sofa and stood behind them to see the video. It started centered on Tim's face then zoomed out, he was holding one of Rose's swords and striking a power pose.

_Oh no I remember this._

Video Tim held the sword up, as if he was ready to strike. "I will avenge my sensei's death." He said to the empty room. He swung the sword wildly. Jason and Damian were silently laughing now, having exhausted their lungs. Tim reached over and paused the video. "That's not funny!" Tim sulked.

"It's fucking hilarious. You ever piss me off and I'm giving this to the Justice League." Jason breathed, still giggling.

"Timothy, if you wanted to learn how to use swords then I could teach you..." Damian spoke in a serious voice. "On one condition though, You have to call me Sensei."

The boys burst out laughing again, Tim crossed his arms and pouted. _If he wants to play this game, then it's on._

Tim pulled out his phone and accessed his cloud server, after a minute of searching he found what he was looking for. He held the phone in front of the boys and hit play.

The video started blank, then a 12 year old Damian came into view from behind a door. He was standing infront of a mirror poking at his face. Video Damian squeezed his cheeks then sucked them into his mouth. He then pushed his ears back flat to his head, when he let them go they sprung back out. Tim from the video scoffed a laugh, little Damian turned around sharply. "Get out of my room! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU DRAKE!"

Tim shut of the video. And stood defiantly.

"Ahh look at little Dami! He grew into his huge ears and chubby little cheeks." Jason babied him and pinched Damian's cheeks.

"Unhand me, Todd." He swatted Jason hands away. "I did not have huge ears...I had a little head." It was Damian's turn to pout. Tim bent down and kissed up Damian's neck and along his ear.

"You're ears are fine." Tim whispered.

Jason made a wretching sound "Can you not?"

* * *

Jason and Damian cooked together, it was an odd sight to behold, these two hulking men delicately sprinkling spices and bickering over how much salt to add. 

It was some of the best food Tim had tasted. Then, Tim had an idea

"Jayyy..." 

"Tim you better not ask me to stay tonight, I have a club to run." Jay took a sip of beer and looked at Tim expectantly. 

"No no, I just wanted to ask, that maybe you could join us for thanksgiving this year and help cook? B won't be here and it'd be better if he didn't hire a chef. Half of our lives are capes and we wouldn't be able to speak at all while a chef is here." Tim asked as lightly as he could, trying not to scare Jason off. 

"I'll think about it. I haven't had thanksgiving dinner in a long time." Jason avoided looking Tim in the eye. 

_Well it wasn't a no!_

Titus trotted into the dining room and sat at Damian's side. He picked some leftover scraps from his plate and let Titus eat it from his fingers. 

Jason cleared his throat. "I've been meaning to ask. Uhh shouldn't that dog be dead by now?" 

Damian smirked, "Yes he should. But I obtained a sample from a lazarus put and injected it into his spine."

Jason dropped his fork "Dude what the fuck, didn't he get all rabid and violent."

"He got a little boisterous but we got him neutered and he calmed down again. It's interesting because I have no idea how much longer he'll live for. I injected him when he was 9. After some tests, the serum had rejuvenated his body to around that of a 2-3 year old. But I don't know if it will prolong his life past the expected 10ish years." Damian said this in a completely non-chalant manner. 

Jason was lost for words, he tried to form words but just stuttered. "You're being awfully quiet Timmers." He managed. 

"I was the one who found the pit, took samples then destroyed it. I sent them to Bruce, but he said he never got them. I assumed someone close to us had stolen them, there wasn't enough to juice up a human. So I forgot about it. It's impossible to replicate so there's wasn't much of a threat." Tim shrugged. "Didn't think it'd be used on a dog though."

Jason arranged his cutlery neatly on his plate and wiped his mouth. "Well on that delightful note, I need to go to work. Tim can you help me with some boxes, I brought them for you."

Tim got up to follow Jason. "I'll do the plates" Damian called after them. 

They hauled the boxes inside the door as Jason explained what they were. "Are you sure you want to get rid of these?" Tim asked, he knew getting rid of Roy's stuff would still be hard even after all this time. 

"I'm not going to do anything with them. Get all this into your lab with your rocket scientists and you can make a fortune. Tamaranean tech is no joke. Roy picked basically anything non essential off Kori's ship and tinkered with it." Jason sighed and stroked his thumb over the Roy-bot in his hand. 

"We all miss him Jay." He pulled Jason into a tight hug, who sank into it, resting his chin on Tim's head. He eventually let Jay go and caught him wiping tears from his face. 

"You tell anyone I cried while hugging you and I'll shoot your kneecaps off." Jason dried his face with his sleeve and made for his car. 

"Don't be a stranger Jay. Not to sound like Bruce but this is home and you can come round anytime. Just announce yourself next time so I can get dressed."

Jason shook his head and hopping into the vehicle. He lit a cigarette and sped off. Honking his horn obnoxiously all the way to the gates. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't care how OOC anyone may think my jason is, I love him.
> 
> Also I am 100% poking fun at how some artists draw Damian with massive ears. Or is it a small head?....
> 
> Leave a kudos if you liked it. And comment any questions/predictions/criticisms ect


	16. Pillow talk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This doesn't move the plot very far, it just lets me indulge in my writing.

"Timothy, I am making hot chocolate. Alfred-style." Damian called when he heard footsteps approaching.

Tim hummed his approval. "Early night?"

"Yes. I'm exhausted."

"Wanna chill in my bed. You did mention a film earlier and I've seen your TV, it's a relic." Tim looked down, blushing at his own boldness. 

Damian clicked his tongue. "Tt, I admit I don't watch much TV... and I did sleep extraordinarily well last night."

Their phones pinged and buzzed in unison.

_Oh man, not now._

**_Multiple murders, possible hostage situation_ **

**_Gotham outskirts._ **

**_RR and Robin closest._ **

Tim opened his watch and took out his comlink. He popped it in his ear and waited for Oracle to connect it. He glanced at Damian who gave him a reluctant smile.

_The one night we're spent, there's a situation!_

"Talk to me O. " Tim said in his Red Robin voice.

"You're on the community line. You and Robin are closest it's not far from the cav-"

Oracle was cut off by Jason. "I've just left and in still in the area. I've got this one Oracle. The boys deserve to have tonight off."

"You sure Hood, you don't have to do this alone?" Tim questioned. He didn't want Jason to go out of his way for him and Damian

"Yeah it's fine I keep a mask in the car. Besides I'm Red Hood, I took down Black Mask single handedly, some looney I can handle in seconds." Jason chuckled "You two can owe me one. Send me the details and give me 5, Oracle."

Tim disconnected the line. _Jason really is in our corner._ "Well that was close. Jason covered us. We owe him now though."

"Tt, I think that's worse."

Tim nudged his shoulder. "I'll get my room in order and grab you some clothes. You finish the drinks."

* * *

Tim bundled all his work clothes that he'd strewn on the floor into his hamper. He plumped up the pillows and straightened out his duvet.

_Why the fuck am I making it perfect we'll be in it in a couple of minutes?_

Satisfied that his room looked presentable he made his way to Damian's and room to get him some pj's. Tim fished through the dressers and found some thin joggers. He picked up a large tshirt for himself to wear and a DIY crop top _He looks great in these! Now... Where would he keep his underwear?_

Tim looked in the smaller drawers on his dresser but his search was fruitless. He remembered the bedside table and went to rummage through it. 

The first drawer was filled with sketch pads, pencils and other art supplies. _How many pencils does one man need?_ the next drawer down had socks. All black, all cotton, all identical. _Well consistency is key!_ Tim joked to himself. 

He tried to open the 3rd drawer but it stuck and wouldn't budge. Tim felt round the sides with his fingertips and found a small catch. He rotated it until it clicked and the drawer slid open. 

_Oh my god!_

Various dildos and other toys sat neatly arranged in rows. Some were huge and others were tiny. Tim poked a small black finger looking device and pulled a face.

_How many things can one man stick up his ass._

Behind the toys was 4 little bottles of lube and a water bottle looking cannister. Tim picked it up carefully, trying not to disturb the rows. The cannister had a flesh toned latex mound with an impossibly small hole in the middle. _How can he fuck this, its tiny?_

He returned the toy to its place and closed the drawer delicately. He fiddled with the latch until it clicked. He pulled open the next drawer down and behold: underwear!

There were many types. Briefs, boxers, an actual thong that had no material over the behind. _For fucks sake how many types of underwear does one man need?_

Tim grabbed a tight pair of white hip briefs he though Damian would look good in and left the room as he found it. 

* * *

Tim was shrugging on Damian's huge shirt when the boy arrived. "You said you were getting clothes for me not yourself." he tutted. 

Tim scoffed "Call it a procurement fee or some shit." The shirt hung loose over Tim's small frame. "I put your stuff on the bed."

Damian set the drinks down and stripped off. He decided against the briefs, instead just wiggled into the joggers. He held up the crop top, he corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. "Hmm. So what are we watching?" 

Tim shrugged "I don't know. You wanna just put on the first film that has a half-decent poster and use it as background noise?" 

"What is the purpose of that?" Damian questioned. 

"Well it means you can talk and not be missing much if the film is shit. But you may end up liking it and you didn't have to spend ages choosing." 

Damian's face morphed from confusion to clarity. "Oddly that is clever."

They flicked through the list of movies until they settled on a spy-looking poster. They settled in and sipped at their drinks. _Just like Alfred used to make!_ The movie was admittedly dull, so Tim elected to maybe start a conversation. "Jason approves of us."

"I imagined he would."

"Really?"

"Of course. He has been shunned by so many for his own decisions. I doubt he would judge others so easily on theirs."

Tim chuckled lightly "He did say that if he walked in on us having sex he'd move to Blüdhaven."

He barked a laugh "We must keep that in mind if we ever want rid of him. Then he can be Richard's problem."

"Do you want to have sex?" Tim's brain to mouth filter faltered again, making him blurt it out. "Not now just you know..."

Damian leaned into Tim "Well yes of course I do. Do you?"

Tim shifted uncomfortably. He stuttered trying to find the right words. "Well. Umm, Yes? But I haven't had sex in years. It's been work, work, work." Damian sensed he wasn't finished so he stayed silent. "And err, you're a little bigger than most people." Tim's face reddened at how childish he sounded.

_Even though he has all them dildos, he might still want to fuck me. Why stick to assigned roles eh?_

Damian stifled a laugh that threatened to bubble over and pulled Tim closer. "I do admit I prefer others to do the fucking", he whispered.

Tim shivered at his words. _But I've never done that before._

Damian sensed something was off "Why am I sensing that we both share that idea?"

Tim darkened further, his face burned. He sipped his drink I hide his face. "It's not that I'm a bottom, I've just never had the chance to be anything else. I wouldn't want to be stuck in one set role." he confessed.

"We'll figure it out. But how did you know how to do that stuff the other night?" Damian rubbed Tim's shoulder while he spoke.

"I just copied what I've had done to me and what I've seen in uhhh... Videos. A guy still needs to jerk off. Some porn is pretty good." 

Damian breathed a laugh but said nothing. 

They concentrated back onto the movie. Tim rubbed his eyes from fatigue and sank deeper into the bed. Against Tim's better judgement he decided to make a difficult comment, taking advantage of Damian's honest mood. "You asked me weeks ago 'why me?' so can I ask you the same. Why me Damian?"

Damian frowned but decided to be honest. "You are a great man Tim. You earned Robin and did a better job than any of us, I got it handed to me, although not through lack of trying to steal the mantle. I wanted it to feel belonging with father. You took on Robin as if it were your life's duty." 

He picked at a loose thread on the duvet, avoiding looking at Tim. "Ra's preferred you, he would've given you everything had you accepted it, instead you bested him at his own game and crippled the league more than anyone ever did. Whether I wanted you to be or not, you were my biggest role model. You were a perfect Robin, a good son and a caring friend. Everything I wasn't, you made me want to be a better human. It was scary."

Damian kissed the top of Tim's head. "The question is: how have you been single for so long? How has no one realised your brilliance? How could anyone not want you Tim?"

Tim turned in bed and rested his head on Damian's chest. He could feel the boy's heart pounding rapidly. "Just needed to find the right man." He whispered.

Damian whispered something back, but Tim was already dozing off. 


	17. Shopping for pleasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim goes shopping for some supplies...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 2000 hits and 100 kudos??
> 
> You guys rock

The following Friday, Tim, Damian and Cassandra were eating breakfast when the press release came out.

_**'Wayne Research Institute's Young New Director: Tim Drake'** _

_**By Vicki Vale.** _

Tim sighed as he read through the piece on his tablet. He had met Vicki for a candid interview earlier in the week. Lucius had organised it, saying that it'd be good press. 

'They'll love to see someone young taking up such big responsibility.' he had said. Tim couldn't understand why the interview was with Vicki Vale, even Lucius would know she is volatile and could turn this into an attack. 

Tim begrudgingly agreed, he had dodged most of Vicki's more prying questions about his personal life. The article was more pleasant than Tim had expected, only a few of Vicki's signature scathing criticisms that were masked beneath fake compliments. 

"Come on guys. How bad does it sound?" Tim put the question to the table. 

Damian's face twisted like he'd eaten a lemon. "It's like she desperately wanted to rip you to shreds but was told not to." Tim perked an eyebrow up. "Okay look at this." Damian scrolled over the article and handed the tablet back to Tim. The sentence read:

**'Mr Drake has been given this position of a lifetime despite the fact he has been taking a hands off approach to his job for a number of years.'**

"Timothy it's staged like a compliment as if you earned this in the short time you've been back, but what she means is you've been handed this on a plate and have done nothing to deserve it."

Tim sighed for the hundredth time that morning. "It's Vicki, what did we expect. Cassie what did you think?"

"I don't care for the media or that hound of a reporter. She's like a dog with a bone when it comes to us. I preferred the news when I couldn't read it." Cass admitted.

_At least she's honest about it._

"When Bruce adopted me, she called it Bruce straying away from his usual white boys and diversifying his odd band of tragic orphans...First of all I'm not technically an orphan, and secondly she didn't know who I even was or what my situation was. The only evidence she had was a leaked adoption form and a blurry picture of us together."

"We shouldn't invite her to any private galas then?" Damian tried a joke.

"Bruce warned her of her insensitivity, she hasn't mentioned me in any article since and that was years ago now. I think she got the message." Cassandra smirked and shovelled a final piece of toast. She left them with a wave. 

"Anything fun planned for tonight Director?" Damian hadn't stopped poking fun at his new title all week.

"Actually yeah. I was thinking we could uhh..." Tim wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Damian choked on his coffee. Spilling a little down his tie. "Really? Should I be preparing myself or..." He was referring to their situation of who would top or bottom. Tim had decided that letting Damian bottom first would be easier. Especially considering how eager he'd been. 

"Oh yeah." Tim beamed at the younger boy who looked like he'd woken up on Christmas morning.

"Well then. It seems I have something to look forward to." Damian removed his tie and folded it neatly.

"And I can look forward to you not getting up to relieve yourself every ten minutes in my nice new huge office."

"Water, Timothy. Water. Don't you want skin like mine?"

* * *

Tim had gone to a sex store to buy some supplies. He said to Damian that he was popping into the city after work. He looked ridiculous in sunglasses and a hat, but he couldn't risk getting caught by paparazzi going into a sex store.

The store was daunting, Tim didn't know what half of the toys and contraptions were. He started simple and brought some 'invisible' condoms. Admittedly he was way more interested in the engineering behind them. How did they get them so thin? Next was some 'ultra glide silk lube', Tim plumped for this one because it seemed better than a flame printed box of lube called: 'hot and tingling'.

 _God knows how that'd burn inside you,_ he thought to himself.

He was brave enough to wander over to the toy section. He discovered that the cannister with the hole in the top was a 'fleshlight'. The impossibly small hole was mean to be an ass hole, Tim scoffed at the ridiculousness of it.

_I hope he isn't expecting me to be that tight!_

Tim's eyes landed a set of three butt plugs. The small black finger shaped devices increased in size. The smallest being only a fingers width. _Do I?_ Tim questioned himself. He picked them off the shelf and read the description: 'Perfect for beginners.'

_Well it couldn't hurt to ease myself back into this. Anything is better than fingering yourself with spit or lotion._

He speculated as he dropped plugs in the basket. Tim was going to checkout when a large box caught his eye: 'Clone a willy'. Tim picked up two with the idea that he and Damian could make them for each other. He just definitely not going to show them to him just yet. 

He popped the basket on the checkout counter. Where the cashier gave him a knowing look that reminded him of Gina. Tim's cheeks burned red. And he looked away.

_This was a terrible idea!_

"Can I see your ID please." The cashier asked. 

_Oh fuck. I'm hot news right now._ Tim reluctantly handed the lady his drivers licence. She inspected it for a minute then her face changed. "Aren't you that big shot kid from the news this morning?"

 _Oh fuck!_ Tim panicked. 

Tim pulled out his wallet and pulled a wad of cash out. "See these two hundreds?" Tim placed them on the counter. "Please never mention I was here."

She put his items in the plain bag and handed it delicately to him. She stowed the two bills in her top pocket and patted it for good measure. "Honey I don't judge. I wouldn't have said anything anyway. You just paid for my kids food this month." She said honestly. 

Tim smiled at her confession and placed another three hundred dollar bills on the counter. "Get something for yourself."

Tim left the bewildered woman and exited the shop, satisfied he'd done his good deed for today.

* * *

Tim asked Cassandra to give him and Damian a couple of hours. Cassandra answered by squealing, punching him in the arm and saying he could have the whole night.

"Just don't expect this that often. I live here too. I get that you wanna be loud the first time.."

"Caaaaass." Tim whined in protest the her teasing comment.

They walked back from the hallway and into the living room where Damian was pouring some wine. "I'm going to Barbara's tonight, she invited me and Steph over for drinks." Cass stated robotically.

 _You'd think Shiva's daughter would be a better liar._ Tim mused.

"Okay? Have a good time then I guess?" Damian replied to her awkward statement. She turned and left, nudging Tim on her way past. Tim took the wine being professed to him.

"So... We have the place to ourselves tonight..." Tim swayed his head like a swooning schoolgirl.

"Tt, I know you got rid Cassandra." Damian's voice was scolding but his face was lit up with glee. "Thank you." They clinked glasses and took a drink. Tim settled on a sip, whereas Damian downed the entire glass. He plucked the drink from Tim's hand and set it down.

He straddled Tim and ground their hips together. Damian's hands caressed the sides of the Tim's face as he kissed him. His tongue invaded Tim's mouth. "I want you so bad." he said breathlessly. "I've wanted you since you came back."

Tim smoothed his hands over Damian's full behind and squeezed, digging his nails through the material. "I'd best not keep a man waiting then." Tim purred.


	18. Coming together (Smut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Damian have sex for the first time

Tim pounced on top of Damian on his bed. Their hands entwined as they locked their lips together. Tim teased his tongue into the boys mouth. Damian broke off.

"Don't you be getting soft and sweet on me Drake. You asked me if I wanted it rough remember." Damian giggled at his own words. "Be rough, I can take it." Tim reacted by biting down hard into Damian's neck. Leaving a mark that would be near black in the morning. "There he is..." Damian squirmed and ground his hips up to Tim's. Their growing erections rubbed through their material prisons.

Tim eventually let up releasing his iron grip on Damian's hands. "Before we get into it there's something I want you to do."

"Anything." Damian whispered, sending a shiver down Tim.

"Undress and put the duvet by the wardrobe. I'll be back in a minute." Tim left a confused Damian on the bed and went to the bathroom.

Damian folded the duvet up and placed it by the wardrobe as instructed. Underneath was a sheet that had seen better days, clearly Tim had prepared for some mess. 

Damian tore his clothes off and laid on the end of bed. Tim returned seconds later completely undressed and was holding a bottle and small object in his hand. 

"Put this in for me?" Tim blushed and held out the finger shaped plug and lube for Damian to take.

"Naughty... On all fours on the bed, it'll go in easier like that." Tim did as he was asked, he suddenly felt the power dynamic change as he was displayed openly for his partner.

_What if he doesn't like the hair back there?_

Damian squirted some lube on his finger and smoothed the liquid over Tim's opening. The cold made Tim shiver again. "Ready?" Tim nodded his response unable to talk through his shallow breaths.

Damian pressed a finger inside Tim and slid it right down to the knuckle. Tim pushed back, trying to fit more in. A single finger was easy for Tim to take, considering he'd been masturbating his ass all week. He'd worked himself up so that two fingers could be taken easily, but any more got a little painful.

Damian pulled his finger out and Tim's hole contracted, trying to pull him back in. He pressed two fingers in this time, feeling more resistance. Tim whimpered a moan at the sting of his opening being stretched. Damian rotated his wrist, twisting his fingers inside Tim.

"I think that's enough, don't want to get carried away and end up fucking you Timothy." Damian said as he removed his fingers. He slicked some lube over the plug and inserted it slowly. It's pushed right up against Tim's prostate as advertised. He gripped at the sheets. "I have a similar one to this you know..."

Tim supressed a grin, _I know you have a similar one!_

"Right stand up and see how it feels, these usually stay in even with quite a bit of movement." Damian asked.

Tim stood and had to grip the headboard as he adjusted. "Woah." was all Tim could manage. Tim's tightness gripped and pulled it in further. It bumped and scraped his prostate whenever he moved. Pre cum leaked from Tim's erection like a faucet. 

"Are you sure you're going to be able to move with that in?" Damian did nothing to hide his amusement. He was looking at Tim coming apart with a smug grin.

"Yeah, yeah. It's getting better. While I'm adjusuting, condom or no condom?" Tim flushed red at his own important question.

"I would prefer none so you can cum in me, but it's up to you... If that's what you want." Damian didn't seem put off by the question.

"Good. On all fours on the bed... I'll go in easier like that." They chuckled at Tim mocking Damian's earlier words. Damian spread himself on the bed. His back arched down and he rested on his crossed arms. His legs split apart bringing him lower to the bed, a testiment to his flexibility.

His smooth opening begged for attention, as did his large cock that dangled onto the sheets. Tim reached through his legs and stroked his throbbing erection. The plugged his tongue into Damian's smooth hole and lapped at the flesh. He pressed his tongue further and forced it into Damian.

Blissful little sounds escaped Damian as he was assaulted on two fronts. Tim pulled all contact back leaving Damian mewling for more. A trendle of spit connected them from Tim's chin.

He squeezed some lube onto his fingers and rammed them into the boy.

 _He can take it,_ Tim convinced himself.

Damian did take him with ease, his fingers were swallowed up to the knuckle. He pulled them in and out, bumping his sweet spot each time.

"More Tim. Please more." Damian begged

Tim obliged, placing another finger inside. There's was some resistance now, his fingers were hugged as they worked to loosen the boy. Tim rotated his wrist and splayed his fingers out slightly. He pulled his hand and admired his handiwork. Damian gaped a little, his hole not closing completely. It winked and pulsed, like he was inviting more.

_What a sight._

Tim used his own slick precum to lube himself up. He shuffled forward to line himself up. The plug inside him moved causing his cock to twitch. He pressed the head against Damian's flushed opening and thrust forward burrowing his entire length inside his partner.

They moaned in unison. The action made the plug bury itself impossibly deeper in Tim. Determined to chase the feeling, Tim thrust again, harder. He started an unrelenting pace.

_This is great, why didn't I try this sooner?_

He squeezed the globes of Damian's ass. Grabbing and clawing as he fucked between them. Damian tried to bury his head in the pillow but Tim had other ideas.

"Nuh uh. Let me hear you." He gave a particularly hard thrust, causing Damian to buck and straighten his legs.

"Huhhhh" Damian squealed.

He repositioned himself over Damian so he was laying on top of him, he snaked his arms under Damian and gripped the front of his shoulders from beneath. He kissed and bit at his neck and between his shoulder blades. At this angle, each thrust glided right over Damian's sweet spot.

He resumed his punishing pace. Damian tried to bury his head again, so Tim held under his jaw and pulled his head up, the other arm still locked on his shoulder. The air was permeated with the smell of their sex. Their heavy breaths and gasps filled the gaps between moans.

"Tim I'm nearly there. Keep going." Damian gasped breathlessly.

"Hold it off as long as you can baby, I'm close too." Tim sucked on his neck. His hand on Damian's jaw was wet with the younger man's tears and drool. 

"I can't. Can't hol- nuhhhhhh." Damian convulsed as he came, jet after jet of cum spurted from his dick and onto the sheets. His insides clenched and pulled Tim in. The feeling was too much for Tim. He erratically slammed into the boy over and over, chasing his own release. Damian's insides spasmed again, tipping Tim over the edge. He tensed and exploded into Damian. His toes curled has he released himself. His hole pulled the plug in as it contracted.

"Ahhhhh!" He screamed as he kept going, the orgasm stonger than any he'd ever had. Every nerve fired overtime. His body burned and tingled. He wasn't even sure he was moving anymore, or was he just spasming against his partner? 

Tim went limp, still filling Damian and bearing all his weight on the young man. They laid listening to each others breathing until Damian started to squirm.

"Tim as lovely as this is, It's getting somewhat uncomfortable. Shall I start running the shower?" Damian whispered softly.

"Y-yeah. Can you take the plug out first. Any time I move, it aches." Tim stuttered.

Damian maneuvered himself off of Tim softening cock and made his way to the opposite side of the bed. Tim gritted his teeth at the motion. Damian stared for a moment at Tim's rear.

"It aches does it?" Damian questioned.

Tim hummed a yes "Not pain, just too much stimulation. I feel like I'm overheating."

"So it would be wrong of me to do this..." Damian pressed his hand between Tim's cheeks and pushed the plug.

"Hahh ahhh." Tim groaned and writhed. "Damian stop fucking around and get it out." Tim half laughed and half whined.

Damian hooked his fingers around the base and slid the device out slowly. Tim panted as the pressure was removed. "I'll start the shower and let it warm up, I'll give you a minute." Damian said lovingly as he kissed Tim's cheek.


	19. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in the aftermath of their first time....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Tim's birthday. July 19th!
> 
> Some panic and mentions of sex-violence in this chapter

Tim laid on the sticky bed until he heard the toilet flush. He could not help but laugh out loud. He swung his legs over the end of the bed and pulled the soiled sheet off with him. He replaced it with a soft new one and bundled the duvet back on. 

_Good as new!_

When Tim opened the bathroom door, he was crushed inside. Damian was facing away from him, showcasing the extent of Tim's damage. Nail marks grazed down his rear. Angry red bite marks that were bruising trialed from his spine and all over the back of his neck. When Damian turned round, Tim wanted to hide away. A dark red handprint could be discerned on his shoulder, along with another handprint along Damian's jaw and on his throat.

Tim could taste bile as his stomach turned. He sat on the toilet and breathed heavily.

_What have I done?_

His blinding thoughts were broken when Damian was crouching in front of him. The hands on either side of his face tethered him back to reality.

"Tim. Look at me."

"I- I can't. I'm sorry. How could I do this to you? Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you? Fuck Damian." Tim shuddered and buried his head in his hands. He felt cold despite the heated steam billowing from the shower. 

"Hey, if you were hurting me I would've said so, I kinda enjoyed it. That was probably the best sex I've had. I've had worse marks from D grade villains." Damian joked to ease the atmosphere.

_He can't be serious._

"Are you sure? I just got carried away I promise it won't happen again. If you're serious about liking it you need to tell me outright first." Tim put his forehead to the boy's and shuddered a breath.

"I haven't felt this good in years." Tim let out a shaky laugh at the boy's confession. "Come on, stop feeling sorry for yourself and let me clean all this cum off you."

"You do cum like a fire hydrant." Tim jibed.

* * *

After their shower they snuggled in bed. Tim laid behind Damian kissing all the marks and bruises he'd left.

"I'm really sorry." Tim apologised for the hundredth time.

"If you apologise again, I'm moving out." Damian nudged his elbow back into Tim's ribs, "I told you it's more than okay. This is exactly what I expected when I said be rough."

Tim kissed him again on the shoulder. "Fine I get it. But as long as next time I can be soft and sweet. I'll be delicate like a butterfly landing on a flower. Like Dick dismounting off the parallel bars."

"Please never use Richard as a metaphor when it comes to us having sex. Seriously, never."

They giggled and fell into silence again. The last thing Tim could remember was the sound of Damian's soft breaths and the smell of his shampoo.

* * *

Tim woke early before Damian. He could still hear the soft huffs of his partner when he crawled out from behind him. He returned from the bathroom and admired the hunk on his bed. 

Damian had moved since Tim got out of bed. He must've kicked the sheets down because his entire back and top of his rear was exposed. He had snuggled into the middle of the bed and hugged his arms under the pillows. Sunlight beamed onto his back from the open window.

Tim walked to the desk and retrieved his camera. He snapped a few shots while the boy slept. The marks were dulled by the light, only the few round his neck were visible.

 _This is way better than a sunrise._ Tim smiled to himself and went to make them some tea.

* * *

Cassandra was already home and pottering about the kitchen. She slinked over to Tim and slapped her hand on his shoulders. "So...." she taunted.

"It was great, really great. He wa-"

Cassandra cut him off mid sentence. "That's all I need to know. I don't need to hear the gory details about my brother's exploits in bed. Cleaners haven't very long left. I had to put away two 'R's, you need to tell him to stop leaving them around."

Tim gripped the counter. _I have to warn her._ He took a deep breath and turned to face her.

"Look Cassie, when you see Damian, don't mention the marks. We got... I got too carried away and I guess I don't know my own strength. We- we talked about it and it's all good, better than good but it's a little embarrassing." He breathed a deep breath again, having said his piece in one lungful of air.

Cass snorted, "They can't be that bad surely... Shhh he's coming." Cassandra's near superhuman hearing picked up Damian's footsteps as he came down the stairs. Moments later he was entering the kitchen and kissing Tim's cheek from behind.

Tim rotated in his grip and pressed his lips up to the boy's. _He still smells good even after a hot night._

"You made me tea?" Damian said between small pecks.

"It's probably not up to your snobbish standard but yeah. Oh and if you go back up to our room, there's a couple of pictures you might like on my camera." Tim smiled and melted into the warmth Damian's bare chest emmited.

"Hmm well don't stay away too long. I wouldn't have woken up if you hadn't have left."

Cassandra tutted at Damian's sweetness. "I'm still here can you two not pda." Damian held up his hands in a mocking surrender before taking his tea and leaving.

Satisfied he was out of earshot she grabbed Tim by the arm and shot him a look that said explain yourself. "Just by seeing those I already know more than I need to. Tell me he is okay with that! Because he's been in some bad relationships before and I'm not about to let anyone hurt him. I swear Tim, I'll break your fingers."

_What does she mean bad relationships?'_

"Calm down Cass please. I promise I didn't mean to, I wouldn't go out to hurt him, never. He's actually into it." Cass released her iron hold. "I apologised over and over. He said that he enjoyed it and that if I had hurt him he would have told me to stop."

Cassandra's expression softened, she read his body language and found only honesty. "I'm sorry Tim. I'd do the same to him if it was the other way. Remember to be safe that stuff can get dangerous when people see and assume things."

"You're a great sister Cassie, I expected nothing less." She pulled Tim into a maternal hug. "Don't ever change eh Cass?"

"You know you said 'our' room just then to Damian..." 

* * *

"She gave you the talk didn't she? About hurting me." Damian questioned casually.

Tim plopped down on his bed and slumped. "Damn right. She's good like that. She'll probably speak to you today though."

Damian hummed in response. "Consider it sorted. What are your plans for today?"

"Jason texted, said he swinging by quickly before work. Other than that I'm all yours." Tim nuzzled his head onto the young man's chest. His slow heartbeat was a comfort.

"I liked your photos. The 3rd one was the best...more of my ass was visible." 

Tim snorted at his comment. "I don't usually take pictures without people's permission anymore but it was too good of a shot to miss."

"Timothy you can take my picture whenever you like. Just as long as some go up there." He pointed at the wall of posters and photos. "I don't like how there's only baby photos of me. I was not a cute child."

Tim pinched his cheeks. He was careful not to pinch anywhere near the bruise. "You were a chubby cheeked little ball of anger."

"And you were an pubecent, angsty, know-it-all 15 year old." He swatted Tim's hands away.

Tim faked shock and put a hand to his chest. "You're just jealous because you still had a high pitch voice at 17."

"I should've thrown you off the dinosaur harder."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always imagined Tim and Damian's sex to be wither really sweet and loving, or rough to the point where they need safe words.
> 
> This was one of those times. Properly rough. Enough to make Tim really panic.


	20. Bunker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miguel comes to gotham to visit Jason. Damian get the chance to meet another gay hero close to Tim...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pseudo-introduction for a spin off fic I might do focusing on Jason and Miguel in these two weeks. I'm on the fence about writing it, but if anyone would be interested in it then let me know. 
> 
> Bunker is one of my favourite Titans and I couldn't really have a gay superhero story without including him.
> 
> Update: I'm working on my Bunker/red hood spin off fic set in the two weeks miguel is here. After that one shot is finished, I'll write the next chapter which will take place a month or so after the end of this chapter

Jason was loading the last of the glasses into the dishwasher when a distinctly annoying voice called his name.

"Jason... Amigo?" He left the kitchen to find Miguel Barragan propped up on the bar. "Your club looks like shit, wey."

Miguel was flamboyant as ever. He wore lilac v-neck tshirt and spray on tight skinny jeans. The seams of the jeans seemed to suffer as he crossed his legs on the bar. He had somehow found more space on his ears to fit piercings on since the last time Jason saw him. 

"It was a Friday last night, you know how it is." Jason hoped Bunker was not in an excitable mood. He hadn't slept yet and would probably not be able to catch a nap today.

"I still can't believe you turned this into a regular club. No more rich pandejos I guess?" Miguel hopped off the bar and sat on a glass stool.

"They all ran scared when Penguin finally got sentenced. Still get way too many customers though." Miguel nodded as if he was expecting Jason to say more. "Do you want umm, hold on how'd I say it: quieres una chela?"

"Yes please." Miguel drummed his hands on the bar and gratefully took the beer Jason had offered him.

"So what're you doing here then? Shouldn't you be living it up in that big T shaped monstrosity you call home?" Jason sniggered to himself. Maybe his fatigue was making him a little rude. 

"Don't even get me started, ese. I needed a break, it's mayhem. I thought maybe you had a job for me for the next two weeks while I'm here?"

"I could use the extra help for some events I got coming up. You staying locally or..."

Miguel waved his hand. "Staying at the Sheldon Park Regal. The photos looked okay and it had a great price- Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Dude that place is far from 'regal', it's a few blocks from crime alley. Why don't you try a refund and stay in the penthouse with me. Mi casa es su casa." Jason preferred his solitude these days but couldn't see a friend stay in a shit hole like the Sheldon Park Regal, it was a frequent drug den and the police were busting rooms there more often than they patrolled the streets. 

"Only if that's okay man." Miguel gave a cheesy smile and started to tap away on his phone. "Don't you have an apartment or something?"

Jason wiped the bar over and binned some discarded cans. "Yeah, it's a pretty nice one too. I spent weeks repairing it. Just haven't really moved out of this place since I took it over. I should sell the apartment, there's nothing in it. But I can't let it go. I still have a room at the Manor filled with shit too."

"And how is Tim doing? Is he still going through a midlife crisis? Can't believe he cut all that hair." Miguel rambled. 

"I'm going over there later actually. Wanna come and surprise him?" Jason didn't know why he offered to let Miguel tag along, maybe having some company that wasn't family in the manor would make things easier. 

"Really? Of course I'll come."

* * *

Jason turned the radio up to drown out Miguel's rambling. Any other day it would be entertaining to hear his musings on everything, but Jason was just a little too tired to bear it. Miguel's time as an Outlaw only really lasted a month or so, then he stayed as a non-heroic employee for a while. But his calling as a Titan beckoned, Jay respected him for it. Even if he did only see his new found friend on occasion.

Jay unlocked the Manor door and made sure to announce his presence. He could not suffer through an encounter like last time. "Tim. Demon Boy, I brought a guest!" Jay shouted up at the stairs. 

Tim came bounding down them. "Jay you better not have brought Suzie or- Miguel? No way!" He jumped the rest of the stairs and yanked Bunker into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?" 

"I'm working with big man over here for two weeks. I gotta say, you guys know your interior design. This place is so cool. What did I expect this is Batman's house?" Miguel gazed up at the chandeliers and up the grand staircase. 

"If you're quite done getting a hard on over our house of trauma, there is a living room where I can sit my ass down." Jason grumbled and shuffled off. Earning an eye roll from Miguel. 

_He's ready to fall asleep, he's only this snappy when he's tired._ Tim chuckled internally. 

* * *

Tim brought them all drinks and slapped Jason awake. Miguel had changed up his look yet again in the weeks Tim hadn't seen him. He kept his signature goatee as it was, but he had dramatically changed up his hair. It was now undercut in a way similar to Damian's but much longer on top. The tips were dyed the same purple as his Bunker suit. 

_Real subtle Miguel, real subtle._

Purposefully loud footsteps signalled that Damian was moving around the house and would likely be down soon. 

"Hey Jay is that your little brother?" Miguel said with a glint in his eye. 

"Yeah most likely. He was house trained properly so he'll be down in a minute." Jay sniggered at his own joke. 

"Oh man I see him on magazine covers all the time. Muy sexy. You think you could set me up with him amigo? There isn't enough broody hot guys in San Francisco." 

Jay went to stop him, but Miguel's rambling was too far gone. Jason shot Tim a look, but Tim held his hand up to call Jason off. He pulled his phone out and sent a quick text to Jason that read: **'Let's see how D plays this. He's waiting outside. Miguel's ears aren't as tuned as our's to hear him coming.'**

"I see him on those magazine covers all the time. He's a gay icon! And those selfies he posts? Dios mío that body is to die for. What's 4 years age difference anyway? Especially in the Robin uniform, those leggings man. Even for one night I'd let him..." Miguel trailed off and made a crude cupping motion with his hands. Damian took this as his prompt to bump a step on the stairs to announce himself. Miguel promptly shut up and brushed his hair to the side and straightend his shirt out. 

_I almost feel bad._ Tim sighed internally. _He's gonna be disappointed._

Damian entered the room in a muscle fitted tshirt and tight sweatpants that hugged his legs and behind. The marks over his face and jaw were gone.

_Ahh man he looks great, Miguel's gonna die. How did he put makeup over the bruises so quickly?_

Jason clamped his hand over his mouth to stiffle a laugh when they noticed Miguel gawping at Damian. He was slackjawed and blushed like a tomato. "Good afternoon, I'm Damian Wayne." Damian purred at him and offered a handshake. 

Miguel shakily took his hand and squeaked. "Miguel Barragan. I-err already know who you are, who doesn't?" He laughed nervously and let his hand linger for too long. 

"Nice to meet you. A friend of Timothy or Jason?" Damian stared with a soft look. 

Miguel squirmed in his seat and blushed harder. "Both. I'm and Outlaw and a Titan." 

"I see, well you're lucky to have to have my Timothy as a friend, Jason not so much." 

Miguel perked an eyebrow at 'my Timothy'. His face contorted into complete shock when Damian crouched from behind Tim and kissed his neck. Damian left to the kitchen.

_Well played Damian._

"You two are cruel cabrones. You let me ramble on about how hot your boyfriend is?" Miguel didn't seem angry, just embarrassed. Jason and Tim chuckled together at Bunker's expense. Tim didn't feel the need to correct Miguel's use of 'boyfriend'. They were definitely not there yet but Tim didn't have the urge to outright correct him there and then. It sounded good. 

"I'm really sorry man." Tim apologised.

Bunker's shook his head and grinned. "Nah wey. I get it. I mean have you seen him? I don't blame you for letting me list all the reasons why you're with him. It's not like I'd want to be in a relationship with him, one night that's all. Jay man, you could've saved me the embarasment."

Damian re-entered the room with a beer in hand and sat next to Tim, any closer and he'd have been on his lap. Miguel gave an embarrassed smile to the couple. Damian returned with a smoldering grin that was sure to fire Miguel up again. "So you must be one of Timothy's new Titans. I remember him treating it like a recruitment drive for our company."

"He interviewed me and everything. I have been a bit of a part-time Titan. Getting myself in a mess and being captured by Solitary wasn't my best moment. Good thing I had a gorgeous knight in shining red armour eh, Capucha Roja?"

Jason tittered at Miguel's turn of phrase. "I've never been called a knight in shining armour. First time for everything I guess."

"You know Damian, Miguel is the first person I ever came out to. I asked him for help clothes shopping for my school reunion one day-" Tim was interupted by Damian's barking laugh.

"I'm sorry Tim but you really are hopeless with clothes aren't you?" Tim nudged Damian with his elbow.

"As I was saying..." Tim continued, "he dressed me up in all these weird clothes, we had a laugh and shit. It was a shop similar to Gina's. When we left, a pride parade was passing through."

"Me and Tim spent the entire afternoon walking with the parade and getting to know everyone. That was literally the first time I saw Tim behave like a human." Miguel interjected.

"Seeing all those people embracing who they are made me want to give it a shot so that night I thanked Miguel for helping me, and blurted it out at lightning speed at the end of my sentence." Miguel and Tim both laughed at the memory. Jason rolled his eyes, but could not help but smile. Jason couldn't help but grin at how Miguel came alive when talking about the Titans and their exploits. 

Jason and Miguel left after an hour to go help Suzie set up the club. Now Tim could ask his burning question: "Okay is that makeup or what?" Damian tapped by his ear and the hologram disappeared. He peeled the second skin from his face.

"They take a little getting used to."

"What did you think of Miguel?" Tim awaited an answer expectantly.

"He was nice. A big personality but I see why you and Jason befriended him. He seemed to like me a lot too. At least I have options..." Tim shot him a warning look, Damian grinned in return. 


	21. *Notice*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My Jason x Miguel fic is completed.
> 
> For anyone who enjoyed the last chapter with Miguel or anyone who wants to expand on this universe, you can read about Jay's first dabbling in sexual experimentation in the link below or skip down to the next work in this series.

<https://archiveofourown.org/works/25488688?view_full_work=true>


	22. Jokerz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween night calls for an all hands on deck patrol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with some action.
> 
> This happens a month and a bit after the last chapter. 
> 
> If you want to know what Jason's been up to during this break, then check out my other fic: Red hood and bunker.

For the first time in ages the cave was actually full, everyone was gathered around the upper level catching up and having small reunions. Kate and Tim sat at the round table with their masks off. Tim was waving his hands around and looked to be telling a story, which dragged a rare smile out of Kate. Jason and Cassandra were going through a few moves while Steph watched on, sipping a carton of juice.

"Oracle, this is Robin." Damian connected his commlink. "You ready for a long night?" 

"Four energy drinks and counting, who we got tonight?" Barbara was clicking away on the other side of the line. 

"Red Hood, Red Robin, Me, Spoiler, Batgirl and Batwoman. Not much but we can cope." 

Oracle sighed over the line. "I hate Halloween. Connect me to the computer so we can get started."

Damian punched a command into the keyboard. Oracle's glowing avatar appeared on the big screen. "Everyone listen up!" Damian thundered. Everyone abruptly stopped their activities and gathered round the computer. Jason didn't look to be very interested, but everyone else watched Damian intently. "Sorry for dragging everyone out tonight, but we can't be too careful when it comes to Halloween. Everyone must be extra vigilant. We're not expecting anything, but we have to be ready for it. Oracle?" 

"You're all taking dedicated districts tonight, Robin and Batgirl are the big guns here so you two are taking the north side where we're expecting trouble. Everywhere from The Bowery to The Hill." Oracle's voice boomed through the cave speakers, disturbing some bats. 

Jason scoffed at 'Big guns'.

"Red you're back in your old stomping grounds, China Town. I want you to cover the upper west side too. Hood, you're in Coventry and upper west side. Overlap with Red on check ins if you can. You are the two that aren't in a pair." Jason fiddled with the straps on his arms and nodded. 

"Batwoman and Spoiler, it's girls night, you two are patrolling the south east side. From Old Gotham to the Fashion district. Back to you Robin."

"Oracle will be on the monitors all night. With any luck, this will be a long boring night. We leave at 11pm in fifteen minutes. Check in every hour. Call for backup if you need it. Meet back here at sunrise to debrief." Robin attached his domino and strode away from the computer. The group started to mask up and attach their weapons.

* * *

Gotham had come alive for the holiday. As they drove out from the hills, troops of kids in costumes went door to door. Mansion to mansion. Clubs in midtown thrived, lines of party goers queued round the block. Jason had dropped Tim at the top of Schnapp Avenue. For the most part the upper west side was quiet, like Tim knew it would be. After their second hourly check in and one last sweep of the district, Tim decided now was the best time to brave China Town.

The narrow steets bustled as usual. Tim perched on the roof overlooking the main street. _It almost looks pretty if I squint._ Tim thought. He was pulled from his haze by a buzz of his commlink.

"Check in, what's everybody's status." Oracle sounded tired over the comms. 

"Red Hood checking in. This is fucking boring, had an attempted break in of a store. Police are carting them off now." 

"Robin checking in. There's a lot going on, me and Batgirl are busy tonight. The Bowery is chaos."

"This is Spoiler. Me and Batwoman are sitting on a roof drinking a beer an old lady gave us. This side of Gotham is pretty much dead, not even a shifty looking rapist-type for us to interrogate."

"Red Robin checking in. I've just got to China Town, about to start sniffing around."

"Stay safe everyone." Oracle's line buzzed as she closed her line off. 

_Alright Red, let's get to work._

* * *

Tim shot his grapple at the skylight an zoomed up into the cool night air. The last of the old gang warehouses was empty. No one had made a play to control China Town in years, not since the commissioner put away both rival families. 

Tim was about to radio through and report but a shrieking laugh from round the block echoed through the now quiet streets. Tim glided across the rooftops, until he was perched looking over into the source of the laugh. A small man hurried to a loading door and tapped on it. He peered over his shoulder down the alleyway, revealing crystal white facepaint and a janky red smile painted across his lips. 

_Jokerz!_ Tim cursed. _That damn worship gang for the freakshow._

The shutters of the loading bay let the small man through and promptly shut again. Tim extended his wings and flew over to the buildings roof. _I need to get to a window. This is where infrareds would've came in handy._

Tim scaled down the building, using his grapple attached to the roof. He pressed a hand to the window and scanned the loading bay. Four Jokerz gathered round a table, what they were looking at, was obstructed from Tim's view. 

_Four guys is nothing. I'll deal with this then do my final sweep._

Tim set the quick release on his grapple, and pushed off of the window. He crashed though, released his line and landed right in the middle of the loading bay. 

"Hands up. You're coming with me and answering to the police. You've all been evading us for too long." Red Robin commanded. 

The four started to giggle, before breaking our into hysterics. _Why are they laughing?_ They turned slowly, their faces were stained with tear streaked makeup. Their faces were grimaced and pained. They were unable to close their mouths which were contorted into a wide grin. 

_Oh no. Joker gas! These people are innocent-_

Shots rang through the loading bay. One. Two. Three. 

Tim froze, his breath suddenly laboured and wet. He reached down and touched the triplet of holes that gaped and spewed blood. 

"We saw you prowling around town. We were hoping for the proper Robin. But a red one will do." The phantom voice echoed, Tim couldn't place it. 

Four more shots deafened Tim's ears. The laughing hostages all collapsed, a pool of blood spread from under them. A grotesque man stepped from the shadows. His sweaty face smeared his white makeup and red smile. He spread his hands out and smiled. 

Cheers erupted as more Jokerz stepped out from beyond the shadows. They jumped and danced with joy. 

_I should've checked. How could I be this stupid._

Red Robin fell to the ground, unable to support himself. He fumbled for his alert botton with scarlet smeared hands. "H-h-hel." he spluttered. 

_I don't want to die. Please._

Blood dripped from his mouth. He watched helplessly as the small man approached him, baseball bat in hand. 


	23. Sorry Bruce

"Everyone come in now!" Oracle screamed down the comms. "Red Robin hit his alert and I can't reach him."

"I got this I'm closest, send his tracker location. Keep everything ready in case we need an evac." Red hood stormed over to his bike.

"Keep me updated Hood." Robin barked harshly.

Red hood sped off on his bike to China Town. Weaving through traffic running every red light on the way.

 _It's probably a false alarm._ Jason considered. _Probably hit it by accident or he's already handled it._

He pulled up at a dingy alley. Luckily the streets of China Town were empty enough for a quick entrance. Shouting and cheering came from inside the building.

_Could he have called to help shut down a fight club?_

Jason scanned down the alley looking for an in. _Broken window that'd be the one._ He zipped up through the window and landed behind the crowd. They stopped leering and turned to face the intruder. Clown-painted faces staring down the Red Hood. His heart rate soared, the sheer sight of white faces and red smiles panicked him. 

"Another one? Your friend hasn't even had enough yet he hasn't smiled once." A faceless voice boomed through the loading bay. The crowd parted to where the imitator stood with a blood drenched bat. Tim was curled up on the floor. A knife had penetrated his hand. His face was sheeted with blood. 

_No. Not again. This isn't happening._ Jason's blood boiled. He gripped the guns at his side. He tried to breathe and think clearly but rage had possessed him.

"I fucking hate clowns." Jason growled.

He didn't care about Bruce's rules or his own safety, he needed to keep Tim safe. Jason whipped his guns from their holsters and rained fire at the clowns. Each fell with a bullet in their chest or head. They rushed towards him, falling over the corpses of their fallen. Jason had emptied both magazines. He discarded his guns and pulled his sword from its sheath. _24 bullets. 24 bodies. About 20 more to go. I'm coming Tim._

He ripped through the first opponent. Slicing though his abdomen and spilling his intestines over the floor. Several others slid and fell on the pool of insides. 

Red Hood gave no quarter. He tore through the Jokerz, Impaling them, dismembering them, even beheaded some, until only one remained: their ringleader.

"You want a smile huh?" Jason snarled. the man backed away, baseball bat raised. "I'll give you a smile." Red Hood kicked the bat from his grip. He held the sword across his hands and pushed it across the leader's mouth, the blade slid all the way back to his jaw bone. He fell away, trying to lift his jaw back into place, red spilling from his face-wide smile. 

Jay breathed for maybe the first time since this started, he ran to Red Robin and cradled him. "Tim! Tim come on buddy it's only a bat you've had worse." He shook him again. He looked over the suit, finding three neat holes he hadn't noticed. _Fucking shot? What bullets can shoot through this armour?_

"Oracle. I need you to autopilot the plane here. A car won't be quick enough." He swept away Tim's shattered teeth from the floor and laid Tim on his back, he pressed his hands over the bullet holes, blood seeped through the gaps of his fingers. 

"It's on its way. What happened? Is Red okay?" Oracle's voice faltered over the line. 

"H-he's shot. They beat him. He's still bleeding out so there's a heartbeat. H-he needs Leslie." Jason's domino welled up with tears. His throat was closing like he was being strangled. 

"Not you Tim. Not you." He chanted this like a mantra until the rumble of a plane overhead ripped him back to reality. He curled his arms round Tim's back and under his legs and hauled him up. Stepping over the massacred bodies of his assailants. 

He boarded the cockpit and set Tim down in the passenger seat. "Don't fuckin die." He took off, racing over the city to Leslie's clinic. 

* * *

Jason paced the corridor outside the operating room where the surgeons were fixing Tim's ligaments in his hand. Leslie and her team had gladly taken Tim in and given him aid. 

Between WE funding and Red Hood's anonymous donations, it wasn't just Leslie anymore, her new clinic ran more like a miniature hospital. 

"Found him. I'll stay until you get here. Is he okay? What's wrong with him?" Steph's voice sounded hoarse. She'd obviously been crying. 

He handed her a list he'd written, so he didn't have to speak it aloud:

  * 8 Broken Ribs 
  * Concussion 
  * 3 gunshot wounds to the liver
  * Internal bleeding 
  * Collapsed and lacerated lung
  * Stab wound to hand
  * Fractured skull and cheekbone
  * Possible swelling on brain. 
  * 6 missing teeth
  * Broken nose



Stephanie fell against the wall and slumped to the floor. Tearing her mask from her face, she wiped her bloodshot eyes. 

"Red hood!" Damian rounded the corner and ran to them. "Is he alive? Tell me he's not dead?" 

Stephanie held out the list Jason had compiled as an answer. He took a seat next to her and read over Jason's scrawled writing. His lip trembled and shook. He shuddered a breath, as if it hurt. 

Stephanie held his shoulder. "Its okay. You're wearing a mask and I've got you." He sobbed into her chest, tears streaming from under the domino mask. She held him until he was all cried out. 

"What happened. Was he alone when you found him?" Damian whispered. 

Jason sighed. He knew they were all going to ask, and he was going to have to tell the truth. "Jokerz, the copycats. They were crowding round him, cheering as this one guy beat him with a bat. His armour held up pretty well and took the bite away from the hits, he'd be dead otherwise." Jason paused and readied himself for the inevitable fight that was coming. "I killed them, every last one of them. You know what, I'd do it again. What happened to me wasn't going to happen to him." 

Jason closed his eyes and hung his head, waiting for the lecture. He expected a punch from Damian, being his father's son. He did not expect to be tugged into a tight embrace. 

"Thank you for saving him. I don't care what you did, you saved him." Damian whispered to his ear. 

"So what now Robin?" Stephanie had risen to her feet and replaced her mask. 

"Batgirl said she would stay and finish our patrol route, I assume Batwoman is doing the same." Stephanie nodded. "You two stay here with Red and give Oracle an update. I have a call to answer."

Robin stepped to the side and pointed through the window at the beam of light displaying a bat in the sky. 

* * *

Commissioner Gordon leaned on his cane while he puffed on a cigarette. He was an old man now, and a stubborn one. Jim had made it clear that he wouldn't retire. It took several gun wounds and near misses just to get Jim to stay out of front line action. 

Robin swung onto the roof behind the commissioner. The early morning breeze whipped his cape. "It's been a long time, Gordon." Damian kept his voice level and calm, despite the constant ache inside him.

_This feels wrong, I need to be with Tim._

"You know why I called." The commissioner held a USB drive out to Robin. "That's the security footage from the scene. I don't agree in the slightest with what he did, its a goddamn massacre. But Red Hood said your friends real name."

Damian turned the drive in his hand. _How do I thank him? He's put his job and morals on the line for Tim and his secret._

"This is a one off Robin, I won't do this again. I owed Red Robin one, he's done a lot for the city. I cleared away his teeth just incase CSI wanted to assess them against dental records. His secret is safe." The commissioner scratched his silver moustache. 

"Thank yo-" Jim held his hand up to silence Damian.

"I don't want your thanks, just make sure he's okay." Jim hobbled off towards the roof entrance.

* * *

Returning to the cave alone felt alien. Cassandra greeted him with a hug but said no words. Damian slumped into the computer chair he peeled his mask off, discarding it on the floor.

He stared at the USB drive. _I've heard what happened. I don't need to see._ Damian pushed the drive across the desk as if it were an abomination. _But I know there are more Jokerz out there. This could be evidence._

Damian argued with himself, his eyes never leaving the drive. "I have to know." He grabbed the drive and inserted it into the computer. He clicked up the footage. Jim had gotten him the entire day's surveillance. He went to timestamp 2am and watched on.

A man appeared through the shutters. He hurried over to a set of hostages. They had, had their faces painted like the small man did. He sprayed each one with a gas and ripped their gags off. He turned them all to face the small desk they sitting by and ran away giggling. 

Tim burst through the window not much later, he demanded they surrender. Shrill, painful laughter filled the room. 

Shots deafened Damian through the speakers. He flinched at the sudden noises. Tim had frozen on the spot while a man appeared from the shadows and excecuted the hostages. Clown after clown appeared and cheered their ringleader on. 

Damian clenched his fist when Tim collapsed. He watched as the small man waltzed over with his baseball bat. Tim held up his hand shakily. The clown produced blade from his belt and plunged it through Tim's glove. Tim screamed, he fumbled with his hand to remove the knife but the blows were already coming. The man swung his weapon above his head and let it crack down onto Tim's ribs. He swung again and again. Tim was whimpering, curled into a ball. He dropped the bat, letting it rattle over the concrete. He bent to Tim. He soothingly ran his hand over Tim's face and through his hair. "Shh its okay. Have you had enough?" The man cooed.

The deceptive, intimate action tore at Damian's heart. 

Tim coughed up blood, his jaw worked to speak but words were lost. "No? We can carry on." The man laughed with his entourage. He pulled a fistful of hair and pummelled Tim's face down onto the concrete. 

Damian gripped the edge of the desk, the metal bent under his palm. 

He slammed again and again. Tim's face was washed with crimson; he was completely unconscious. The pretender found his bat and went to go again, when he was interrupted by Jason. 

Damian watched as Red Hood tore through the Jokerz. The floor was more red than concrete. Never had Damian seen Jason act with such ferocity. He cradled Tim, muttering his name, trying to wake him. Damian felt a pang of sorrow for Jason. _He shouldn't have experienced this for second time._

He turned off the footage. The bitter taste of acid rose through his throat. He ran to the chasm and threw up down into the dark cave floor below. Damian played it over again and again in his head. Images of his Tim being broken plagued his vision. Something however was not sitting right. So he brought himself the resume the footage, rewinding to before the chaos ensued. It was something the pretender said. 

"We were hoping for the proper Robin."

Damian hit pause. Staggering back into the seat he ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair. 

_They wanted to copy The Joker exactly. What else do they want to copy?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I introduce a main threat to the story. Admittedly Tim was not meant to be hurt until later on, but while I was writing the Jason spinoff I was doing some storyboard organising and moved the angsty hurt stuff up.
> 
> This story, happening later on in their lives, is going to take some inspiration from Batman beyond. 
> 
> Not so much that it's alien and regular batman fans can't read it, but enough to make batman beyond fans nod when they see of here a reference. The most glaring reference being the Jokerz, a reccuring nuisance in the series. 
> 
> I promise there will be some well earned smut after some comfort, revenge and Tim's recovery.


	24. A Cat Is Calling

Jason bolted up, alerted by the shriek of his phone. Tim was still out for the count, he'd been sedated since he was taken into the clinic three days ago. He shifted awkwardly in the chair as he reached for his cell. Sleeping upright with his costume on had been hard on his back.

Jason cursed. The phone lit up with a single letter: 'B'. He couldn't hang up or decline his call. Knowing Bruce, he'd take that as a sign to come home. He reluctantly hit answer and held the device to his ear.

"B, if you're gonna try and give me a lecture then save it." Jason said his piece in a single breath.

"Hood, it's me Cat I was told you'd be watching Red tonight. Are you alone so we can drop the codenames?" Selena spoke in a hushed tone.

"Yeah it's all good Selena. Leslie has put this room and the space outside off limits." Jason was relieved to be talking to Selena and not Bruce.

"How is Tim?" She asked. It was the question everyone was asking. He had texted Miguel the details for him to pass onto the Titans. Even Julia kept asking. It was so difficult for Jason to answer. Yes Tim was alive, but he wasn't okay.

"He's not dead." Jason had given up sugar coating his answers. "Leslie won't let us move him to the cave. He's healing well but Leslie won't let him go until she can take the drainage tubes and ventilator away so he breathe on his own. Could be up to a week."

"That's okay, as long as he's getting better. How is everyone else holding up?" Selena's voice was calm and mothering.

"Cass is dealing with it by herself. Dick has demanded hourly updates. Steph is an absolute wreck and so is Damian. No one has seen him. He's been out every night gunning for the Jokerz. He hasn't been to see Tim once and Cassie told me he's called in sick from work."

Jason cursed himself for his slip up and possible outing of Tim and Damian. "You might want to talk to him about that one."

"I'll call later, he'll talk to me." Selena jotted down a note as a reminder. "Listen Jason. Bruce wants to talk to you. Please hear him out. I told him to be nice." She passed the phone over.

"Jason." The man stated blankly

"Bruce." Jason greeted through gritted his teeth.

"Ask him how he is you idiot!" Jason heard Selena chiding Bruce from a distance.

Bruce cleared his throat and grunted. "How are you?" He asked robotically.

"Fine." Jason was not in the mood for an argument, nor was he in the mood to be pleasant. 

"You shouldn't have had to see it. I know they copied what he did to you." Bruce's voice strained. "I know you'll be angry but please don't make any impulsive decisions."

"It's killing you isn't it? Not yelling at me. Not telling me I'm a murderer. Telling me I'm a disgrace." Jason scoffed. "I'm surprised you're not here kicking my mask in again telling me to leave your city."

"Jason. Don't do this." Bruce growled down the phone.

"How does it feel Batman? Knowing that Tim would be dead if I didn't butcher them all. Knowing that your way wouldn't have worked. I enjoyed it Bruce, you never did let me get revenge on the clown. His copycats scratched that itch a little."

Jason locked his eyes onto Tim. He zeroed in on the steady pulsing light to calm his rage. Deep down Jason didn't mean it, but the situation had dragged up old feelings. "Would you have just cleared another display cabinet out, called him a good soldier then replaced him?"

"Jason please." Bruce begged.

"Fuck you. Call your son. He needs you now more than I ever did." Jason crushed the phone in his palm and threw it out the open window.

Bruce listened to the crack of glass, and the agonising bleep of the dial tone. "You're my son too Jason." He whispered. Selena took his hand and stroked patterns along his calloused knuckles with her long nails. 

"That went about as well as I thought it would." Selena chortled at her own joke. Bruce simply sighed.

"What does he expect me to do? Give him a free pass of killing nearly 50 people?" 

Catwoman dug her nails into Bruce's hand. "Was he wrong though? Honestly, your way wouldn't have worked. Tim would be dead if it wasn't for Jason."

Bruce wrenched his hand away. "So I'm meant to condone this?"

Selena stepped infront of him, squaring herself up as if she was ready to fight. "I don't think you get it. Jason had just walked in on Tim getting beaten the exact way he was. The exact way he got killed. You can't even being to think what that was like. No one is asking you to condone it. Just understand it."

He looked away, guilt seeped into his soul as his wife ripped into him. "Give him a pass on this one. He saved Tim." Selena took his hands again and pressed her face to his heart. Bruce conceded, he didn't not agree with Selena, but he could see the point she was arguing and elected to not push it further. "How about I try this again with Damian? You can cool off."

* * *

Damian marched through the cave. He flung his cape and mask into his locker and began to unlace his emerald boots. The fronts were dark with blood, no doubt from the last lowlife who bore no fruitful information on the rest of the Jokerz. 

He'd spent the last three days, sunset to sunrise, prowling the city. Interrogating anyone he could. No one seemed to know a thing, the Jokerz were all but ghosts. For a brief moment Damian had considered that Jason had in fact eradicated all of them. But if that were true then his questions would go eternally unanswered. 

Barefooted and clothed only in some workout sweats, he padded over the Batcomputer and began filing his report. Clicking and tapping away he compiled an overdue summary of his findings from the last three days:

> **The injuries sustained by Red Robin were a poor recreation of those sustained by Barbara Gordon and Robin II. The gunshot wounds were badly aimed and missed his spine, instead hitting his liver.**
> 
> **The ballistics taken from the bullet are inconclusive. The bullets are most likely prototype, likewise is the gun as they cannot be linked back to any known manufacturer. This unknown source however, must be from a high tech facility. The armour piercing capabilities of the rounds, and the high calibre of the firearm are more advanced than anything seen on Gotham's streets and the world.**
> 
> **After interrogation of every source I have, no information on the Jokerz or their whereabouts has come to light. There is a possibility that Red Hood eradicated the last of them. This does not provide me with the answers we need.**
> 
> **What happened to Robin II was a secret to most. His death was covered up and the true nature of his injuries and how they were sustained was hidden. How did the Jokerz know? Had one of their followers gotten close enough to the Joker before he died to gain this information?**
> 
> **I will press on with my investigation alone tommorow night.**
> 
> **5:24am. 4th November 2020**

Damian signed off and filed the report. After being radio silent for days, he was sure Oracle would appreciate the sign that he was okay. He leaned back and brushed his hand over a darkening bruise on his side. His eyelids sagged and fought against Damian's attempt to keep them open. 

His ring tone echoed through the cave. Bats flittered and flew from the sudden disturbance. He declined the call and returned to his fatigued haze. It rung again, vibrating obnoxiously on the metal desk.

"What!" He snapped. His knuckles white from squeezing the device.

"Are you okay? It's Selena. Put me on video call I wanna see how you're doing." Damian complied, knowing she wasn't asking, but rather telling. The cave screen lit up. Selena centered herself in frame and shuffled a chair forward. She swept her fringe from her judgemental eyes and pursed her lips. "You look like shit. Jason told me you went awol."

Damian stared at his picture in the bottom corner. Dark bags consumed the skin around his eyes. He hadn't shaved, a thick beard framed his face. Spots of blood were still peppered over his features from his twilight work.

"I've been working Selena. There's more to this. There's more of them." Damian ran his hands over his beard and through his hair. It was greasy and felt grimey.

Selena sighed and leaned forward, a stern look painted over her face. "Why are you working yourself into the ground? You're not approaching this right and you know it."

Damian felt the tears burning their way out his eyelids. He squeezed his eyes tight. Days of fatigue and sleep deprivation came crashing down. He brought his knees onto the chair and rested his heavy head on them. "I can't stop now. I have to stop them before they try anything else. They're copying the Joker's stunts and we all know how dangerous that could be. I'm so close, I'm squeezing every lead. I-I can't stop."

"Damian why?" Selena cooed.

The flood gate of emotion had opened and he had no way of shutting it off. Damian kicked the chair away. He picked up a rogue batarang and threw it with deadly accuracy into the dinosaur's eye 100ft away. 

"Because they hurt my Tim! Because they nearly took the best thing that ever happened to me! Because I put him on patrol alone!" Damian screamed. He tore at his hair, finding relief in the sting of his follicles breaking. "FUUUUCK!" He cried out into the empty cave. His throat burned like he'd swallowed a hot coal. 

Selena tried her best to harden her face, she was cracking inside. Damian was coming apart at the seams and neither her nor Bruce could help. She watched him breathe ragged breaths until he calmed, his shoulders sagged in defeat. 

"Damian come and talk to me. It's just me. Remember what I said about sticking together in a house of goody-goodies? It's just me, Bruce is off cooling down."

He sighed into a laugh. Replacing the chair, he sniffed and dried his eyes out. "I apologise for my behavior. You should not have seen that it was childish."

"You needed that though didn't you." She soothed him with her maternal voice. He nodded shamefully. "Ignoring my burning question. Do you really think Tim needs to be babied and have a constant patrol buddy? He was picking up Batman's slack when he was 15. It was bad luck, not your fault." Damian pouted. Selena was making sense. "So... my Tim?"

"When he got back and you left." Damian mumbled.

"Did you even let him unpack? We didn't know Tim was gay-"

"Don't tell Father. About Tim or about us being together. I don't know what he'll think or how he'll react. He didn't adopt Timothy but he still sees him as a son. And Timothy hasn't come out to you two yet. It is not my place to tell."

"Okay fine, I won't say anything. But just know that your dad would be an idiot not to be happy for you." Damian couldn't help but grin. Having Catwoman in his corner always felt like a victory. 

"Damian, how many heroes do you know that have a solid relationship? Me and ya dad were doing our dance for nearly two decades before we finally got married...You're happy. He makes you happy. In the life we live you gotta grab happiness and run."

"Thank you Selena. For someone who doesn't want children, you're a good mother." Damian put on his best smile.

"Do you want me and Bruce to come home? We could all sort this together."

"No!" Damian wouldn't not spoil his father's honeymoon with just one case. "We all have this under control."

"So tell me what you're gonna do." Selena pushed Damian to answer with her eyes. 

"I meant what I said." Damian's hardened resolve returned. "I'm too close, I need to pursue this."

"I know you're going to anyway. What I want you to do is take a day." She pointed her finger to the camera lens. "You will get at least 6 hours sleep. You will eat a proper meal. You will shower and you will go and see your boyfriend."

"Fine." Damian crossed his arms and pouted like a child.

"I'm proud of you kitten. Make sure you tell us when Tim wakes up. Love you." Selena terminated the call, returning Robin to silence.

Damian stumbled out of the cave, his feet taking him instinctively to Tim's room. It was exactly as they had left it Halloween night: a mess. Damian picked up Tim's thin worn superboy tshirt from the floor breathing in the faint smell of Tim ingrained in the fibers. He wiggled the shirt on and fell into their bed. 

For the last few nights Damian had crashed to sleep in the cave, waking a hour later to continue his work. The comfort of the memory foam was inticing. He let unconsciousness take him the second his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Damian had waited till nightfall to approach Leslie's clinic. He waited on the opposite rooftop for hours. Debating with himself where or not to go in. 

_I could always see him when he's moved to the cave. Do I really want to see him in this condition? I could be out working the case._

With his heart in his throat he grappled to the open window and slipped inside the room. He gasped and felt his throat constrict. Tim lay broken on the bed, swarmed in tubes and drips. Damian traced a finger over Tim's bruised face, sweeping strands of hair away from his eyes.

"Oh Tim." Damian choked.

Damian instinctively moved to hold Tim's hand, but swiftly remembered the damage. Something ruffled as he sat on the large chair. He pulled a note from under his behind:

'I'm sorry to leave Red alone. The business couldn't wait any longer. I'll be back later tonight - Red Hood'

Damian half-smiled at the note. He was thankful Jason had been looking after Tim and keeping watch.

"I suppose I'm about to talk to you like they do in movies. You would probably laugh at me but I've been replaying our conversations in my head. Just incase you died, I wanted to memorise them entirely."

He leaned forward, pressing his head to the mattress.

"It's been ten weeks and three days since you came back, you were meant to get back to a normal 25 year old. Not narrowly escape death. I'm sorry this happened to you Timothy. You deserve your normal life, I've been neglecting patrols just to stay in bed with you, we've made time for dates on top of everything else. I've been trying so hard to help you get that life you wanted and I still couldn't stop this."

Damian felt the familiar catch in his airway and the burning of his tear ducts. Damian knew no tears would fall, he'd cried more since Tim was injured then he'd ever cried in his life. 'Al Ghul's do not cry.' his mother would tell him. 'You cannot cry and lead an empire.'

"Timothy to be honest I would not like to be here. Selena took over Grandfather's job and gave me the stern talk. She made me sleep, shower and shave. I think you might've liked the beard. I've been on the hunt non stop for days. I could really use your skills about now. I'd never admit it to your face but you are far superior to me when it comes to detective work. I'm a fighter, you're the thinker. Please be okay Tim, these past weeks have been some of the best of my life, I can't lose you now. I've just started to fall for you."

Damian picked up on a set of steps coming down the hall. They were not nurses steps, or any he'd recognise. They were trained, the steps were masked and made purposely lighter. He skipped across the room and positioned himself behind the door. He slid a batarang from his belt and held it ready.

The door cracked open, pouring light into the dark room. A small figure stepped in casting a shadow over Tim. In a blink, Damian had the figure in a tight hold and was pressing the corner of the batarang to their neck.

"Tell me who you are and why you're here." Damian growled into the figure's ear.

"Try letting me go Robin and you'll see." the female voice was light, young.

Robin dragged her into the illuminated corridor and pushed her into a wall, keeping the shard tip against her neck. His eyes adjusted, they were met with a strike of blue wavy hair and the shine of metal piercings.

"Harper?" Robin's voice rose to a high pitch. 

"Yeah now let me go."

Robin released his hold and showed her into Tim's room. "I apologise, no one knows of this apart from the nurses and us. I'm a little skittish."

"I used to volunteer here don't sweat it." Harper looked thoughtfully at Tim.

"I though you stayed in New York with Cullen after finishing your degree. Why are you here?"

Harper took a seat next next to Damian. "I've taken until the 15th off work to come help. I know I gave it all up but it's Tim. The suit still fits and I've brought some prototype gear. Let me help." Her eyes pleaded.

"I'm going back out tomorrow and chasing leads. As long as you can keep up you can join me."

Harper rolled her eyes. "I can keep up. Just because I've been out of it doesn't mean I'm not in shape."

They sat in silence, both their eyes fixed on Tim. Damian never did talk to Harper all that much. She rarely ventured to the cave, Tim shared Robin Nest with her before she quit and moved away. Damian could admire her resolve, rarely did someone become a hero then give it up willingly.

"He's going to be okay right?" Harper whispered.

"I don't think there is a single thing in the multiverse that man could not come back from." Damian had been repeating it to himself in his mind over and over. Tim had been through so much and always came back fighting.

* * *

"You know I never get tired of seeing this place." Harper lugged her case down the steps and gawped around the Batcave.

"Tt. It gets old. I set up an area for you to work, it has a workbench and an outlet for your computer." Damian showed her to her workspace, where the case crashed onto the table. "How much are you carrying?"

Harper smiled mischievously, "this has everything in it. I might have some goodies for you as well."

She rummaged through her case, the table top quickly filled with electrical scraps and notebooks. "No that's not it" She mumbled. She dug her hands deeper "Got em!" She held up a long glass case. Hair like strands of silver were carefully placed in a compartment running the length of the case. "I've been working on these to replace the electrics in Batarangs and stuff. They need to be machined directly into whatever you want them for."

Damian held the glass case to the light and marvelled at the precision workmanship. "Facinating." He stated. 

"If you could get these running through the length of a sword while it's being forged. You could have a sword that's constantly electrified. The power could be lethal, but we'll set it for a nasty surprise instead." She trailed off, giving Damian an eager look.

"Of course I can forge a new sword, will they withstand the heat?" 

Harper crossed her arms, her brow was knitted into a frown. "Why would I suggest they be put in while forging if they'd break?" 

Damian flushed red "Point taken. I apologise, I haven't slept much."


	25. Robin Recovery - Part 1

Tim heaved himself off the ground. He dusted himself off and picked his bo staff from the ground. 

_Green gloves? Why am I wearing this old thing? The last thing I remember is the Jokerz. Am I dead?_

Another quake shook the earth, Tim held onto a nearby police patrol car to steady himself. Tim couldn't think, the air was thick with smoke. The screams didn't end. The smell of charred flesh and smoke was inescapable, it filled Tim's lungs on every breath. 

"We need more ambulances Robin!" a call from behind him rose above the noise. 

"Communications are down throughout the city. We have to make do with what we've got." Tim's voice came out like a squeak. 

_The crisis!_

There was a crack that seemed to silence the world. He held a hand up to his eyes and looked to the sky. The crashing of parallel earths lit up like the sun. He hissed and squeezed his eyes closed, fading the world to black

_I'm dead. I didn't want to die there's too much I had to do. I want to go home. Why this day?_

He opened his eyes to a different scene. The sky was clear and bright. The silence was deafening. There was no sound across the plane of white. Shivers crept through Tim's spine, goosebumps rose on his bare forearms. He shuddered in the cold and began to walk. 

Sheets of gold and wires crunched underfoot. Some pieces were still smoldering and melting through the snow. 

_Please don't make me see this._

His body turned and looked off into the distance. Two Supermen, Batman and Wonder Woman gathered around. His feet took him closer. Nightwing came into view, standing with Bruce. 

_Don't make me see it._

His legs began to run. The clang of metal rung through the empty plane. Cassie was bent over sobbing into the ground. Tim burst past Batman and Wonder Woman. 

Tim had lived this before, he knew what was coming. But the emotions felt raw. The pain felt as real as the day it happened. 

He felt the familiar buckle in his legs as he fell to the ground. Kon's lifeless body laid in the crater. Blood still trickled from his ear and corner of his mouth. He cried out calling Conner's name. His body was still warm but the heat was fading fast. Tears cascaded from Tim's mask when he buried his head onto Kon's still chest. 

_Stop showing me this. Why am I seeing this again? Make it stop! I want this to stop!_

* * *

The black void started to swirl. Fluorescent lights blurred into view. Voices chattered from far away. "This sword surpasses all my expectations. I owe you." Tim couldn't identify the voice. His eyes struggled to focus, the light stung and he strained further to hear. Tim tried to lift his head and failed, feeling heavy like a weight was pressing down on his sternum. 

_Where am I?_

Tim couldn't concentrate on his breathing. Every inhale felt like he was underwater. Panic set in. His heart pounded, every beat thudding through his ears. Tim opened his mouth to shout. His mouth was dry and his throat burned. "H-help" his voice was small and strained.

_My left hand, there's something wrong._

He tried in vain to flex his fingers. Trying to grab at anything. Tim moved too quickly and thudded his hand on a metal rail. "Ahhh" he rasped. Pain shot from his hand to his chest. 

"Help!" He mustered everything to shout. A burning sensation enveloped his chest and up through his throat.

"Tim!" The deep voice echoed through their surroundings. Footsteps pounded to his side.

"Dry." Tim rasped. The footsteps moved around his bed and back to face him. 

A straw was pushed to between his lips. "Drink Timothy. Slow, small sips." The voice was soothing and familiar.

_Damian?'_

With his throat lubricated he felt the burn fade away and tried to talk. "D-Damian?" his voice was hoarse. He blinked to refocus, the blurred sillouette of his partner appeared. 

"Yes Tim. I'm here." Damian whispered, his hand rested tenderly on Tim's face. 

"Am I dead? Is this another dream? I didn't want to die, Dami." Tim couldn't bear more than a whisper. Damian's thumb caressed his cheek. 

"No. No you're alive. You're okay. I'm here." Damian choked on his words. 

"Dami I'm tired." Tim tried to move his hand again to no avail. "I can't move my hand."

"Go back to sleep. It's okay."

"Don't leave me. Please don't leave. I don't want to die. I just started to feel like living again. I don't want to go." Tim begged, he fought to keep his eyes open. 

"I'll be right here when you wake up." Damian's words lost their volume as Tim was consumed by the void again. 

Harper packed up her gear and left for the night. She had indeed been keeping up. With her help they had found an old Jokerz hideout. She set up a full surveillance system, if any Jokerz came back, the cave would be alerted. Damian found her company to be refreshingly different. She would sit with Tim while Damian showered or went to work. She brought lighthearted conversation in a dark time. Damain would forever be in her debt. 

* * *

Tim buckled his cape and adjusted his mask. With a final check that his staff was stowed away he opened the window. "Dad please. Just promise me you won't open the door." 

"Tim. I'm fine." Jack Drake huffed rubbing his neck. 

"You're not, you think you are but you're not. You saw the TV - they killed Sue Dibny; attacked Jean Loring - both in their homes." Tim pleaded. 

Jack rounded on him. Coming face to face with his masked son. "Why don't you tell me what's got you so nuts? I know Batman called. Someone was threatened weren't they? Who was it?" 

Tim sighed. He couldn't give away Mr Kent's secret. "I want to tell you - it was someone big okay? Really big. If they know who he is then they can..." Tim couldnt bring himself to finish his sentence. "Just promise me you'll be smart. If something goes wrong push the button on the signal device. It'll connect you right to the JLA."

Tim held his grapple out, aiming across the street. 

"Tim wait."

"Dad I have to go" Tim pleaded. He couldn't have this conversation again. He'd been staying away from the action hoping to protect him but he was needed. Batman needed him. 

"Y'know I've tried to be good about this. Better than most parents in fact. Better than any parent!" 

"Dad I can't do this now." Tim could hear the whirring of the Batmobile around the city. 

"I'm just saying I know he chose you for a reason. You obviously have a gift. But don't think that makes it any easier for me to watch my son go out there and purposely put himself in harm's way." Jack's shoulders sagged in defeat. "I worry about you Tim. You're 13 years old, you shouldn't be running around in a mask and cape."

Tim stepped down from the window ledge. "Don't you think it's a little late for that. Do you really think I should stay? Be honest Dad. You really think I'm better off here watching all this on the news?" 

Jack looked into his son's eyes. The whiteout lens did nothing to hide the determination in Tim's eyes. "No you should go. Definitely go." 

Tim flashed him a bright smile. "Thanks pop!"

He shot his grapple into the air and raced off to meet Batman a few blocks away. The passenger hatch on the car was open, Tim swung and dismounted perfectly onto the seat. The second he was clear. Batman shut the hatch and sped off further into the city. Bruce patted his thigh and smiled what looked more like a grimace.

"Thanks for picking me up. I was-" 

"Tim! Get home now!" Oracle's voice thundered through the car. 

Tim stuttered "What're you talking about? What's wrong?" 

"It's your dad!"

Batman swung the car 180° and raced back through the streets to Tim's apartment. "Barbara patch me through." Tim begged. 

"Tim." Jack whispered over the line. 

"Dad! Dad are you okay?" 

"I-I'm fine. I think he's in the hallway. I got it though - I'm fine." Jack's assurance came out like a scared whimper. 

"Dad this isn't some African safari. Get out of there!" 

Bruce was muttering something to Oracle. Tim turned completely in his seat to face his mentor. "Bruce please. Please help him." Tears were welling in Tim's eyes. 

"Just keep my boy safe. Please just keep him safe." Jack spoke directly to Bruce. "He's at the door. Tim if something happens-" 

"Nothin's gonna happen!" Tim screamed at the center console. 

"Tim I need you to focus. You listening? Understand one thing: if you don't get here. It's not your fault. I need you to know Tim. It's not your fault okay? You didn't do this." Jack spoke as if he'd already resigned himself to death. 

"Dad. But I-" 

"I love you Tim. I love you just like your mother loves you. What you do for all those other people... It's worth it. Never question it Tim."

"Dad. We're almost-" 

"Tell Bruce to take care of you."

Tim heard the loud crash of his door being kicked in. Followed by deafening gunshots. "DAD!" 

Tim leaped from the Batmobile as it rounded the corner of his apartment block. "Tim, if the police are there." 

Tim's started to rip his uniform off as he bounded up the stairs. He peeled the tear soaked domino from his eyes and threw it. The stairs ended on his floor, the door lay broken clean off its hinges. "DAD." 

Jack lay splayed out on the floor. Pooled in blood with a gold shimmering boomerang protruding from his chest. Tim didn't even try to feel for a pulse. He knew his Dad was gone. "Get it out!" He tried in vain to pull the object from his father's chest. "Get it out please." The razor edge of the boomerang sliced deep into Tim's hand. He was undeterred, he kept grasping to pull it out. 

"Tim its okay..." Batman cast a shadow over the scene.

"Get it out please. Please." His voice was miniscule, defeated. 

"It's okay." Bruce pulled Tim away from the body and hugged the boy into his chest. "I've got you."

Tim's vision faded to white as the blinding lights returned, with bats flittering overhead. _Why didn't I stay? I could've saved him._ Tim thought as his consciousness regained control. 

* * *

"Dad?" Tim croaked. "Bruce?" 

This time his eyes adjusted perfectly. He looked around the cave, seeing nothing but fluttering bats. A snore sounded from lower down his bed. After a minute of fumbling for the bed remote, he held down the button to raised the headrest, bringing him to a seated position.

Damian was out cold, he was perched on a stool, leaning over to comfort his head on the mattress. Tim coughed when he attempted to laugh, causing the sleeping man to bolt up. 

"Tim? Are you feeling okay?" Damian rubbed his eyes and rested a hand on Tim's leg. 

"Feels like Kon is standing on my chest. Can you get me a drink please." Damian rushed to get Tim a cup. He placed it into Tim's good hand. Tim took a sip, His eyes widened. He set the cup down between his legs and felt his mouth. He moved his fingers over the missing space where his fangs and canines were. 

"Luckily your front teeth are fine, speaking would be difficult without them." Damian smiled warmly. 

"Tell me what happened and don't lie to me." Tim growled, looking down into his cup. 

Damian's smile faded. He'd never seen a look so dark cross Tim's face. "How much do you remember?" 

"The gunshots and the knife. I think I blacked out after that." Tim wheezed and took deep laboured breaths. 

Damian fought with Tim's request. _How much do I tell him?_ he wondered. _He asked me not to lie._

Damian braced himself and began to recall the events after Tim's blackout to him. Explaining why his teeth were missing and how he was rescued. Tim's expression didn't deviate from the scowl he'd adopted. 

"My hand?" 

"You'll need therapy for it. It could have been worse. It should recover fully." Damian tried his best to keep his tone light. 

"Can you get me a mirror, or a phone. Anything." Tim demanded. Damian pulled out his phone and flipped the camera. Tim examined the damage, even after a week, his face was yellow bruised and swollen. He pulled his lips to the side, exposing the gap in his mouth. He stared for minutes, each second that passed distorted his face into sadness. He set the phone down and leaned back into the pillow. His lip trembled as the first tears rolled down his cheek. "I froze Damian. He shot me and I froze. Why did I freeze? Look what they did to me." Tim sobbed. He looked at the wall to escape Damian's eyes. 

"Tim. You're still as perfect as the day we met. Teeth or no teeth. Bruises or no bruises. Please look at me." Damian traced a line up and down Tim's upper arm. He turned his head to face his partner. Damian held the sides of his face gently. "There is nothing you can't overcome. You're always beautiful to me." He planted a kiss on the man's forehead, earning him a ghost of a smile. 

"We need to get my teeth sorted. I want to be out of this bed." Tim wiped his face with his bandaged hand.

"As soon as you're well enough. You have been healing well Timothy, if all goes well we can have someone do it in a few days. I promise you Tim, I'll take care of everything." 

"Can I have a little time alone please." Tim picked at the sheet. 

"Anything you want. I need to go upstairs, press the alarm button and I'll be right down." Damian tenderly pecked his lips and started to walk away. 

"Dami!" Tim called after him, straining his voice. Damian turned, his eyebrow perked up. "I hate your beard."

* * *

Tim endured visits from Stephanie, Jason, Harper and Cassandra. Each came with heaps of sympathy and love. Jason made a fuss about not having to thank him, but Tim forcefully thanked him and pulled him into an awkward hug. Dick rang professing his guilt about not being there. Tim had to answer texts from Bruce and Selena. He desperately wanted them to stop. He was sick of the sympathy. Sick of the fussing around him and sick of the cave. 

Harper sat by his bedside on Friday night. "I'm heading back tonight. Damian is finding a dentist and taking me back to the hotel to pack."

"It was nice seeing you Harper. I wish you could stay longer. You didn't really have to come back for me." Tim's voice was less strained after days of recovery, his lungs hurt less and breathing was easier. 

"Of course I had to. It's you. Me and Robin have made great progress. Tons of new tech, we found two Jokerz hideouts and I even got to help Oracle tweak her algorithms." 

Tim gave a closed smile. "Say hi to Cullen for me."

Harper knocked his arm. "He's going to die when he finds out you like men. I swear he'd doodle 'Cullen Drake' in a notepad. It's fine if I tell him right?" 

"As long as you tell him I'm taken. Don't wanna get his hopes up." Tim hid his grin. 

"You and the wierd one make a pretty good couple. He really likes you." She kissed Tim on the cheek. Harper and Damian climbed into the Batmobile, speeding off into the night. 

* * *

"Dr. Angelo?" Damian called from the shadows. He had climbed in through the dentist's office window. 

The small dentist jumped. Her face was wracked with fear. "Who's there?"

"I'm Robin." He stepped out from behind the curtain. "I'm here for your help Doctor." He sat on her pristine consultant's chair and leaned back. He needed her at ease. 

"H-Help?" the lady stuttered.

"A friend of mine got assaulted badly. He's missing a lot of teeth and we need them repaired."

"And you want me to help now? It takes time." Damian's matter of fact attitude put the dentist at ease.

"I know how this works. What I want you to do is take wax moulds of his mouth. Screw the implants in now. Then I want you to rush a partial denture through so he can have some teeth in the meantime while the implants are healing and you're making the crown. I have a station ready and waiting for you to use."

She nodded, impressed at his knowledge. "Why would I do that. I beyond closing time."

"Because I want to pay you triple your usual charge. I am asking you because you're the best. I can take my money elsewhere."

Damian's possible withdrawal of his offer prompted the woman to scramble. She brushed her bangs aside and gave a fake smile. "Of course I'll do it. You need to help me carry the equipment."

He heaved a large box of equipment down to the batmobile. Robin was uncomfortable with letting this woman into the cave but he didn't have a choice. He made provisions so she could not see anything: Tim would wear his mask, a tent was erected around Tim's bedside and several heaters were dotted around the cave to make it warmer. 

"You need to wear this and hand me any devices you have." He held out a hood in his hand.

"You're not serious." The woman frowned.

"I will vet your devices and lock them away. The hood is so you cannot comprise our location." Damian shook the blindfold.

She begrudgingly handed over her phone and put on the blindfold. Damian led her to the passenger seat. He verified that the dentist's phone couldn't be tracked and stowed it in the glove compartment. He initiated the hideaway protocol, the windows turned ptich black so no one could see in or out. The batmobile's autopilot would take them back.

* * *

"Okay, you ready?" Damian had his arm hooked around Tim. He held Tim's weight as his feet lowered to the floor. The cold cave floor bit at the soles of Tim's feet, his legs shook for a minute before steadying. "Timothy I'm going to let go." Damian's arm slipped away. Using his good hand, he held the bed rail and stepped a short way forward. He stepped again and again, feeling stronger and steadier.

"This feels good. That bed was killing me." Tim suppressed the smile that threatened to burst out.

"If you can walk to the computer, I have a present for you." Damian held out his hand for Tim to take.

After taking an embarrassingly long time to traverse the cave, Tim settled in the leather chair and caught his breath. The cold leather felt unpleasant on his bare backside, but Damian had refused to get him any more clothes for the time being so he was stuck with a medical gown. He looked around, amazed at the cleanliness of the computer. A stark contrast to the papers and miscellaneous items Tim would leave around it. He looked round to see Damian bent on one knee holding a large rectangle box.

 _No. He's not doing this._ Tim panicked.

Before he could ask Damian flipped the lid of the box up, revealing two partial dentures. Tim shakily took the top set in his hand.

"Dr Angelo stayed true to her word. She rushed these through like I asked. She even got you the more discreet acrylic fixing rather than the metal." Damian beamed like he'd actually proposed.

"Thank you Dami." Tim whispered.

"I know we're going to bed soon, but can you put them in. I've missed your smile. I noticed you've been hiding it." Damian chewed his lip in anticipation as Tim used the laptop screen to maneuver his new smile in.

He moved his jaw and flicked his tongue over the partials. He flashed a cheesy grin to Damian, leading them both into fits of laughter. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. I wish you wouldn't have traumatised that dentist." Tim picked up on a slight lisp but brushed it off.

"She got the job done. And she being paid well too. Stephanie will be over tommorow to look at your hand. Are you sure you want to sleep in our bed tonight?"

"As long as you don't punch me in the ribs I should be fine. I've missed you and this cave is too cold." Tim held his hand out, Damian took it and led them all the way to their room.

* * *

Tim snuggled into the blanket he was shrouded in, one he'd stolen from Damian's room. The soft fluffy material was wrapped around his head, a small hole allowed his face to poke out. The large heap of fluff covered his body entirely, Tim's hands crept out and tapped the keyboard on his laptop. Tim had elected to get comfy and catch up on work. He expected to be alone tonight, like the last few nights. Until a cough announcing a visitors presence popped Tim's bubble. 

"Jason? What with all the bags?" Tim poked his head above the living room couch at the man. He stood with two duffel bags in hand and gave a puzzled look at Tim's state. 

"Umm it's Sunday... 22nd? You know the exact day that you were sending me on my Google calendar as the day I should be here for." Jason fiddled with the zip of his coat. "You know to stay until after Thanksgiving."

 _Fuck sake. I've been staring at my own calendar all day, how did I miss this?_ Tim cursed. "I'm sorry I totally forgot. I haven't got your room ready or anything. I can't believe it's that time already." Tim frowned at his laptop.

"It's alright. I kinda get it you know." He waved at Tim and gave a consoling face. He dropped his duffel bag and plopped down next to Tim. "How you doing anyway? And what is this?" He waved again but at the blanket shroud. 

"I'm allowed to be cozy!" Jason bit back a smile. "I feel okay. Everything except my hand is nearly healed. I'm pretty much benched until the new year." Tim clicked away his last email and closed his computer. "My chest really aches sometimes and I get out of breath a lot quicker."

"Good to hear you're on the mend." Jason shifted uncomfortably "You getting nightmares?"

Tim froze. "I-I just... Yeah." Tim blushed and pressed his head back into the couch. "I keep seeing Kon die. My dad die and I keep seeing... Them."

"How often Timmers?" Jason wrapped his arm around Tim.

"Every night. I can never stop it. It feels as painful as it did the first time. I didn't used to get dreams like this. It'd be maybe once a month." Tim rested his head on Jay's shoulder.

"They'll ease up eventually. I rarely get nightmares about him anymore." Jason confessed, he didn't need to say who. After Jason's mask was sabotaged by The Joker and he was forced to recover at the Manor, his screams would echo right through the house. Alfred or Bruce would sometimes have to sedate him further to make him stop. 

Jason looked around "Where's demon boy?"

"Where do you think?" Tim retreated his hands into the fuzzy fabric. "He's driving me insane. There's only so many leads he can follow. They're all coming up cold." Tim pouted and let the blanket fall further over his head. 

"Let me guess Cass is going with him to humor him and make sure he does nothing stupid?" 

"Yep! I really miss him. Between him working and patrol I'm lucky if I see him at all. He doesnt stay in our room, instead he comes in early hours and sleeps in his own room because-" Tim raised his hands out to sign inverted commas, his useless hand flapped. "He doesn't want to disturb me." Tim's mental filter chose this moment in his rant to blink away entirely: "Jay I want him to disturb me, I had a wet dream the other day when I wasn't having a nightmare and that hasn't happened since I was 13. I'm fucking touch starved. It's like he's purposely avoiding me and it's pissing me off. He's not helping anyone. Just running himself into the ground and making me feel like shit because he wants revenge." Tim blushed scarlet from his outburst, heaving in a breath. 

Jason sniggered, pressing his face into his palm. "That bad huh?" 

"Sorry." Tim squeaked. "I haven't had anyone to vent to. I usually vent to Damian. We've done really well, bringing down our walls, dealing with the past, the biting and remarks. I just don't want to lose what we've made and end up fighting again. I know it's so easy to fall back into that because it's normal. The kissing, sleeping together, relationship stuff it's alien to us. Maybe he's realised he doesn't like it now that we've all had a huge reality check."

"No I get it. Maybe just talk to him, he'll stop for breath eventually. I'm not good with this sort of thing." He gave Tim a half smile "Look I'm going to bed Boy Wonder. It's really late and it was a shitty drive. You should aswell. Knock if you need me, for anything." He was sure to empasise 'anything'. Jason retrieved his bags. Tim followed, his blanket-cape flowing behind him. Tim departed from Jason in the corridor by his room.

Jason called back down the hall: "Don't cum in ya pants yeah?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone that is still reading has any suggestions for what should happen over thanksgiving, I'm all ears.
> 
> I have so many possible scenarios, conversations and dramas that could happen. It would be nice to get some outside suggestions.


	26. Robin Recovery - Part 2

"Tim" Jason whispered in the least quiet way possible.

Tim roused from his sleep, to see a scarily eager Jason standing over him like a madman.

"Tim!" Jason screamed to his ear.

"Fuck off you prick! I was up the first time." Tim rolled over and stared at his clock. "It's not even 6 o'clock. Why are you here?"

Jason smiled and clapped his hands obnoxiously. "Someone has driven half the night to come see you. Well probably me but I suppose your lazy ass is included." He clapped again into Tim's ear and ripped the covers off. Leaving Tim exposed and cold. "Get up I've made breakfast, right now." Tim reluctantly crawled away from the the heat of his bed and followed Jason down the hall. He stalled to pop his head into Damian's room. He made sure to be quiet. His brow knitted into concern when his bed was made up and empty. Jason seemed to read his mind. "Cassie and him are on their way back. They got held up with the PD last night." Jason stomped down the steps. 

"He'll be in a mood then." Tim grumbled.

"When is he not in a mood." A deep, playful voice greeted them from the bottom step.

"Duke! We weren't expecting you 'till Wednesday night." Tim slapped his arm around the man.

"I made a spur of the moment decision last night. I felt bad for not coming back earlier so I drove all night." Duke lead the way to the kitchen where he was eating. "I know you'll say that I didn't have to but with the press release that you've had a car accident I got some sympathy and leeway." 

Tim nestled down next to Duke at the breakfast bar. Tim sighed to himself, apart from Cassandra, he was the shortest member of the family. This was only made more obvious when he's sitted next to Jason and Duke, both being about 6ft. "How is the degree coming along?" Tim asked after being able to wake up.

"It's physics. It's a little boring at times. I'm glad Bruce pushed me to do it after I took those years off." Duke smiled through his fatigue.

"Hmm guess you can't all run major parts of a company with only a GED..." Tim smirked into his coffee cup. Duke gave him a sarcastic smile and went back to his food.

Voices murmured through the living room behind them. "Tt. Imbeciles. I could conduct an investigation better when I was 10." Damian and Cass walked into kitchen still in their uniform. Cassandra picked a scrap from Jason's plate and made a beeline for the fridge. Duke looked to Jason and back at Damian. Both of them stifling laughs at Robin's appearance.

"It's nice to see you Duke." Damian nodded at him and flashed a tired smile. Unable to hold it in Jason and Duke burst into hysterics. "Did I say something amusing?" Damian furrowed his brow and waited for them to stop.

"That beard and that costume look fucking ridiculous. You're a grown adult 'Boy wonder'. Tim you let him out like that?" Jason screeched.

"He told me to shave it but I don't listen and I wouldn't have the time anyway." Damian answered on Tim's behalf. He settled his head on Tim's shoulder and nuzzled behind his ear. 

Tim shrugged him off and pouted. "You don't have time for a lot of things lately." He spat. Spite dripped from the words. Damian stood and scowled at Tim from behind.

Jason decided now was a good time to poke fun and give a warning: "don't have a domestic. It's early and we're trying to eat." He slapped Duke to shut his mouth. The man clearly had questions but Jason made him wait. 

"What do you mean by that? Sorry if I've been distant but I need to find them." Damian crossed his arms, expecting an answer. 

"Distant is a fucking understatement. What about what I need?" Tim dropped his head down.

 _I should stop now. It's too early._ Tim urged himself. 

"You really want to do this now Drake?" Damian warned in a cold tone. 

_Oh we're back to 'Drake'. Bring it on._

"Fuck you. Why not?" Tim bolted up from his seat and turned to his partner. "Might as well do this now. This is the longest we've been in the same room in days." Jason and Duke adjusted their stools ready to get up. Cass followed suit by shutting the fridge and giving the scene her entire attention. 

"I'm doing all this for you." Damian growled.

Tim scoffed. "There isn't any leads. There's no evidence. You're just out cracking heads because you feel useless. You are fucking useless! If you were doing this for me then don't I deserve some involvement or an update?" Tim ground his teeth together. 

"You don't understand-"

"I don't understand? So you're idea of helping me get better is to leave me in our stone cold bed while you go run around the city looking for ghosts."

"Timothy, I don't know what you expect from me." Damian retorted. 

"Stop being Robin for once and be my fucking boyfriend." Tim stepped into Damian's space and tore the domino off. They were staring into each other, eye to eye. The tension in the room was almost tangible, like the air was viscous. Everyone waited on baited breath for Damian's response. 

"Calm down." Damian commanded. 

_Don't tell me to calm down!_

His anger bubbled over; Tim lunged forward and pushed Damian, sending him flying through the living room door. "FUCK YOU!"

Damian picked himself off the floor and stared back at Tim horrified. 

Pain exploded in his hand, he fell back clutching his useless limb. Cass moved with inhuman speed to restrain Tim. Her hand was on a pressure point ready to render him paralysed. She nodded to Duke who marched Damian to his room. "One day guys. I couldn't have one day." Duke muttered as he pushed Damian up the stairs. 

Cass eased her hold and let Tim slump to the floor. He hugged his knees, not knowing what to do with himself or what he was feeling. Cassandra sat next to him on the cold marble and wrestled him into an embrace, he had no choice. 

"Cave." She stated angrily. "Your hand." 

* * *

"Damian what the hell? Are you okay?" Duke closed Robin's bedroom door and sat next to him. Damian had a distant look in his eye, he acknowledged Duke's question but made no attempt to answer.

"He's not wrong." Damian muttered, sounding defeated. "I'm trying hard for him. To find the Jokerz."

"So since when was this a thing? You and Tim." Duke didn't want to press while Damian was this down but curiosity got the better of him.

 _Can't give good advice if I don't know the facts eh?_ Duke reasoned.

"Pretty much since he got back. About 3 months." Damian started to strip his costume off. He slid off his gloves and boots and took off his armoured tunic, leaving him in the undersuit.

Duke whistled. "What was it? Get I'm my bed before you unpack?" Damian's lips twitched into a faint smile. "You've got this week off work right?" Damian nodded. "Well then let's go out. You have have a break and give Tim time to cool off. A theatre downtown is showing every Tarantino film. Then how about you take me to that barber you're always bragging about." Duke touched his grown out hair. 

"I won't watch anything other than Kill Bill, and I'll have you know that Simon is a true artist of hair." Damian's spirit seemed to lift.

"Have a nap. We'll go for a midday viewing and make sure you have a shower. You reek." Duke pulled a face and made for the door. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Damian nodded again half-heartedly. 

* * *

Duke and Damian pulled up to the Manor after their day out. Jason was perched on the entrance steps smoking a cigarette. Duke hopped out the Mustang, he smacked Jason's head on his way through the door. Damian lingered a few feet away from Jason, his hands were shoved into his pockets.

"A delicate little flower like you will get cold out here." Jason said. Damian opened his mouth to speak, Jason read his thoughts and answered his unspoken question. "His hand is fine. But he's been holed up in his room all day. Ain't came out once." He blew smoke at Damian. "Didn't know he had the strength to send a lump like you flying like that." Jason giggled to himself. 

"It seems I deserved it. Duke has suggested I talk to him. He may not want to see me though."

Jason laughed again and flicked his cigarette away. "Ya still don't get it. Did you listen at all? All he wants is for you to stop avoiding him. Don't you think that avoiding him would make him feel like it used to years ago? Do you like feeling like that again, barely seeing eachother and it being frosty when you do?" Damian's shoulders sagged and hunched over. "He deserves better than this. Step the fuck up or end it."

Jason pointed to the door. 

* * *

Damian prepared a pot of tea and took a tray up to Tim's room. He did his best to avoid his family's judgmental eyes as he walked through the house and up the stairs. His heart thudded, erratic and uncontrollable.

 _This is worse than our first date!_ Damian thought.

He stopped outside the door unable to enter. Jason's earlier words echoed in his head: 'Step the fuck up.'

He nudged the door open and stepped inside. Tim laid wrapped up in a blanket watching reality TV. He jumped up at the sound of the door, meeting his partner's gaze. Damian set down the tray and sat opposite Tim. Not a word had been spoken, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Who would move first? Who'd crack? Tim met Damian's emerald eyes with his icy blues. Damian's usually beautiful eyes were marred by heavy bags and fatigue. 

He pulled Damian close and buried his head into the younger man's shoulder. His hands clutched desperately at the material of his shirt, grounding himself and making sure Damian could not leave again. Damian's hands wrapped delicately round Tim's waist and rested on his back, tracing up and down with his fingers. Tim fought back his long overdue tears.

"Tim-"

"Shut it" Tim barked. "Just enjoy this." They held each other for nearly ten minutes before Tim wrenched himself away.

"I'm sorry for this morning." Tim squeaked. It was the first words spoken since their tea was poured.

"No need to apologise Timothy. I've been well informed today of my own actions and wrongdoings. By Duke, Jason and my own barber."

Tim shook his head. "No. An argument shouldn't end up in violence. It's not healthy it's abuse. Don't excuse it and don't forgive me. There's isn't an excuse. I promise I won't do it again. Ever. I'm so sorry, I wasn't raised like that. We're not like that anymore."

"Talk to me Tim. Tell me what's going on. I don't know how to do this with us, when we've argued before it never got resolved." Damian peeked over his cup.

"There's so much to say." Tim banged his head against the headboard. Damian gave an encouraging smile. "I've recovered really well. The bullet holes and my hand are just gangly painful scars. My chest feels a lot better and the bruises are gone. But just because I'm better physically doesn't mean I don't need you. We haven't slept in the same bed since I moved up from the cave. I can count on one hand the times we've kissed, hugged or even touched since then. I don't want to be needy, I just want you. I've missed it. The second I was out the cave you ditched me for the case. I've gotten used to you being here, going cold turkey was shit."

"I can't drop the case Tim."

"I'm not asking you to, can I just ask that you wait until next Monday to go out again. If something big turns up then go of course. But there's no evidence Damian, you're probably scaring them further into the shadows. You're not Batman, Dami. You can't be everywhere."

Damian nodded "Fine, Monday. You got me for the whole week. Anything else?"

"Have we gone too fast? Did my accident slow things down enough so we can see them properly. I'm still 100% on us but I wanna know where you're at. You're young, maybe you don't wanna care for a cripple. Maybe you don't wanna be tied down to just me. I'd be fine if you wanted to stop this an go back to how things were. I can still be polite, it wouldn't be awkward. I won't go back to arguing and fighting. I just lo-" Tim chewed his lip anxiously. "I just-" 

_Is he serious?_ Damian gasped internally 

"Tim. I am just as invested in us as I was before. Nothing has changed. I feel stronger now than ever." Damian took the cup from Tim's good hand, setting it down on the dresser next to his own cup and intertwined their fingers. "I'm sorry I haven't given you any attention. I got so caught up with myself and what I thought you wanted, I didn't ask you what you actually wanted, you have my word I'll be a better boyfriend."

Tim narrowed his eyes. "Are we boyfriends? We haven't had that conversation."

"Well everyone seems to think we are. You even said it earlier. I thought-"

"No Damian. C'mon just ask me formally. Do a speech. I've never had this before." Tim was beaming. He bounced in his seat like a giddy schoolgirl. 

"Fine." Damian cleared his throat. "Timothy Jackson Drake. Umm, it's been nearly 4 months since you came back. In those months you've made me so happy and I hope I've given that to you. I'm ready to make things official, so you can't run off with the clone." Tim smacked his arm with a grin. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Tim blushed hard. His ears as red as his cheeks were. "That was actually really nice. Of course I'll be your boyfriend." Tim giggled at the end of his sentence. Damian pulled his boyfriend into a deep longing kiss. One that made up for all the ones he'd missed. "I'm so happy that awful hair is gone." Tim grinned and stroked his smooth cheeks and jaw.

 _It's time._ Damian resolved. 

"Come. I want to show you something." 

* * *

"Is the cave empty?" Damian asked the group. Cassandra, Duke and Jason were huddled in the living room playing monopoly. They turned in unison and gawped at the couple. Their eyes were clamouring for an explanation. Tim noticed Duke's fresh haircut and deduced that him and Damian must've gone out together.

"Yes." Cassandra answered, eyeing Tim and Damian's intertwined hands. She did nothing to hide her apprehensive scowl. Tim knew he'd be in her bad books. She hadn't said a word to him when she checked out his hand. He could feel the anger rolling off her. She warned not to hurt Damian and that's exactly what he did. 

Damian began turning the clock hands. Jason audibly cringed. "Don't cum on the equipment. It's communal." 

Damian huffed. "Tt, nothing like that you cretin. But it is a private matter." He led the way down the steps into the cave, Tim flashed an awkward half-smile before following. 

The cave was cold as usual. The light chatter of bats echoed around the space. Damian led Tim through the costume displays. Past a red and green leotard labeled 'A Good Soldier'. Past a tattered grey and blue suit. Past various other fabric markers serving as a timeline of Bruce's life, right to an empty space adjacent to them. 

"So why here? This is a wall." Tim rubbed up and down Damian's bicep. 

Damian looked down at Tim with a distant look shadowing his eyes. "Cave open display case number 10." 

The batcave computer fired into action. "Confirm identity." a robotic voice blared through the cavern. 

"Damian Wayne. Authentication: Ibn al Xu'ffasch", he stepped back against the railing and held Tim's hand in his own. 

The floor slid open, a pod identical to the others began to rise from the floor. Once it was fully risen from the floor, Tim broke from Damian's hold and marvelled at the suit before him. 

The suit was a muted graphite grey with matte black accents. More armoured than Bruce's other suits, yet still looked lightweight and maneuverable. The armour was exaggerated around joints, large spaulders, and poleyns covered the shoulders and knees. The fins on the gauntlets were larger than other batsuits and more angular. Much like the short ears on this suit which had a triangular, pointed look. Opposed to Bruce's curved, longer ones. Tim walked around the case inspecting the garment. The cape was straight and pressed to perfection. The design lacked any colour, even the utility belt was black and streamlined.

Tim couldn't figure out the suit. _Something is wrong with this._ Tim decided. _It's not 'Bruce'. It's too angular, too high tech, too different from the others. It almost looks like a League suit-_ Tim's train of thought was brought to a screeching halt as he came to a realisation: This suit wasn't for Bruce. 

He turned to Damian, who was gazing at the suit distantly. "Yours?" Tim asked. 

Damian nodded his head. "Yes. Father says I can put it on whenever I'm ready." He giggled and looked down at his feet. "I don't think I'll ever be ready. I told him he'd have to die or retire permanently before I put that thing on. He actually seemed happy I said that though. Confusing."

"Why would Bruce do this. He isn't giving up is he? I thought he'd never give Batman up. He is Batman, it's literally who he his." Tim exclaimed. 

"He doesn't have a choice Timothy. He's 48 now, factor in all the injuries and stress he's endured... He has the body health of a much older man. Whether he's conditioned to peak fitness or not, age waits for no man." 

Tim frowned, "so he is giving up." 

"Not at all. He's stubborn. Father started to get frequent chest pains last year, Leslie said his crusade is catching up with him and he needs to take a backseat or risk a major heart attack." 

A small chuckle escaped Tim's lips. "Let me guess: he didn't listen."

"Of course he didn't, but he did make some changes and preparations. He ran off to marry Selena. He let me lead attacks in the field. Then Father showed me this." he pointed to the suit. "He wanted me to put it on alongside him but gave no explanation of why there should be two Batmen."

Tim slipped his arm round and rested on the small of Damian's back. Damian pulled him closer, the smell of Tim's shampoo grounded him. "Can I see it on?" Tim whispered. 

"No." Damian stepped forward and tapped the panel, the tubular case began to disappear again. "I'm not putting that on until I have to. The second I pull that cowl over, I'm Batman." 

They took a slow walk back to the Manor. Damian checked the computer before they left the cave for the night. "Who designed it. It's very... You." Tim asked. 

"Grandfather did. I suppose he looked at league influences and incorporated them." His lips twitched into a faint smile. "He always did say I should honour my past rather than try to run from it." He cleared his throat and straightened his posture "The past has a nasty way of reminding you it's there Master Damian. Best not to hide from it." Damian mimicked Alfred's voice perfectly. They laughed at his impression, but the pained look behind Damian's eyes told Tim not to say anything further. 

After his sweep on the Batcomputer, they continued their walk. "Thanks for showing me. I won't tell anyone." Tim squeaked. 

"I was worried you'd be angry. Father chose his successor without consulting anyone. I thought it'd be Richard, he's done it before." Damian smiled sweetly at his first memories of Robin with Dick. 

"You were always going to get the cowl. It's probably best that Bruce chose rather than left it open. That didn't go down very well last time." Tim pushed the dark thoughts of Bruce's disappearance to the back of his head. 

They exited the cave the same way they'd come it. Again, all eyes were on them. Damian planted a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. "I need a stiff drink. Anyone else?" Everyone nodded and made to follow, leaving Tim with Cass.

"I know you hate me right now. But I've told Damian to not forgive me for pushing him. I told him I'd never do it again and I mean it. I'll never hurt him." Tim looked Cass in the eye. "I'm sorry. I broke my promise."

"Don't be an idiot Tim." She tapped his knee. "I swear though Tim this has to be the last time you lay a finger on him like that. If he does it to you then I'll be the first one to beat him senseless. Not in my house. We love eachother, we don't hurt eachother." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a really hard time writing recently. I have a clear idea of how this ends. I have a clear idea of two major events. It's the minor events and the journey there I keep struggling with.
> 
> Im indecisive and I keep changing the plan. Rest assured that you'll love where I'm going with this no matter what path I choose. 
> 
> For those looking for smut. It'll be one more long chapter the you get your fill.
> 
> *info*  
> Damian's suit is his one from Dceased. Gotta love dceased.


	27. Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds and bats flock together for thanksgiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : Some very very mild smutty stuff. It doesn't appear often, only at the start and end

"Hoo ho, fuck." Tim giggled as collapsed onto his bed. "I can't believe you only had one, Jason makes a mean sex on the beach. I had like 4 or like 7, whatever it was more than anybody else." 

Damian plopped down next to him and began to undress. "I have to cook tomorrow with that drunkard. I can't be hungover." He pulled his top over his head, and wiggled out of his trousers.

Tim lunged at him. Curling himself over Damian's back clumsily. "Not hungover." He reached down and squeezed Damian's bulge through his boxers. He bit down of the younger man's earlobe, illiciting a hiss of pain. "But you definitely are hung." He whispered. The hairs on Damian's arm and neck pricked up in response, his body said yes, but his sober mind won over.

"You're drunk. Not tonight." Damian removed Tim's hand before his body could instinctively react.

Tim groaned and fell back onto his pillows. "Dami. I want you to fuck me!" He whined loudly. Damian cringed knowing there's a good chance Duke may have heard that from his room across the hall.

"You're drunk." He repeated.

"But I want you. We haven't cum together in so long. I want you to fuck me. Don't deprive meeee." Tim begged. Damian twitched in his boxers at the thought but pushed the feelings down. 

"Tommorow, when you're sober." Damian snuggled into bed beside him, only to be left alone when Tim wondered off across the room. He stumbled to his desk, and rummaged around. Having found a pen and some post-it notes he wrote a quick note. Tim danced back over and shoved the note into Damian's face.

'Dami's gonna wreck my ass tomorrow!!!!'

Damian could barely read the drunken scrawl, but the letters were big enough to get the jist. He sighed through a laugh and handed the note back to Tim. "Very to-the-point. I like it."

Tim smacked the note onto his bedside table. "I probably wouldn't remember if I didn't write it. I'm finally getting some diiiiiick." He sung. Damian cringed yet again at Tim's lack of noise awareness.

"Yes handsome, you are. Now get into bed and shut up." Damian flipped open the duvet so Tim could crawl in. Tim obeyed and climbed in. Damian wrapped his arms around his man and pulled him in close. Tim wiggled his behind and ground his hips into Damian's. "Timothy." He warned.

"It was worth a shot." Tim chuckled. He shut off the lights plunging them into darkness. He felt the rise and fall of Tim's chest as his breathing slowed. He stratched his hairy calf up Damian's slowly. The action had become somewhat of a bedtime ritual of theirs. The tingling of Tim's leg hair against his own hairless legs sent Damian to sleep quicker than any medication ever would.

"Nm jayidaan, Tymwthaws " Damian uttered in his native Arabic tongue.

<Sleep well, Timothy.>

* * *

The smell of Damian's body wash was enough to rouse Tim from his hangover sleep. It was sweet and musky. Fresh but distinctly masculine. It saturated the air, filling Tim's nose with every breath. The familiar comforting smell was enough to make him momentarily forget his throbbing headache. Momentarily. 

The haze faded quickly leaving Tim groaning at the sound of his own heartbeat. The bathroom door opened, a plume of hot air followed Damian into the room. 

"I thought you'd be asleep for longer. I'll only put the lamp on, the light from the curtains might be too much." Damian padded to the corner of the room and flicked on the lamp. 

"You are so very caring. What would I ever do without you?" Tim moaned mechanically. He rolled over and looked at his partner who was digging around his designated draw for clothes. The dim light cast shadows over his toned body. Steam radiated from his dark bronze skin. Droplets of water glistened and trailed down his spine to settle on the towel. Tim bit back a smirk. "You're so hot but I can't move right now. My head might fall off." 

Damian let out a dry chuckle. He let the towel fall to the floor, giving Tim an eyeful of his soft round behind. "Oh dear. Is someone regretting drinking so much yesterday." He stooped to pick his towel up, exposing himself even more to Tim.

"You're a cruel man Damian Wayne." Tim sat up, wincing and breathing hard as the room spun. He refocused on Damian who was unfortunately now half dressed.

"Remember, you're getting your ass wrecked tonight." Damian said nonchalantly while pulling on some socks.

Tim blinked a few times to register what had come from Damian's mouth. "Excuse me?" Damian rounded the bed and picked a note from by Tim's phone. He handed it to Tim before going about rubbing some moisturiser on his face.

Tim read the note and flushed a deep hot red. "Ohh god. Was I that bad?" 

"And loud." Damian laughed. "You might get some wierd looks from Duke. I'm sure he would've heard you begging." Tim sunk down onto he pillows and groaned. "Go back to sleep Timothy. It's early. I'm going to make some bits for breakfast then get started on dinner preparations. There will be painkillers and a smoothie waiting for you. Promise."

"You're a gem. I don't deserve you." He said. He waved Damian over and dragged him into a sloppy kiss that had them both wiping their chins after. 

* * *

True to his word, Damian had left a kryptonite green coloured smoothie and two pills on Tim's bedside table with a little note propped up against the tall glass. He smiled as he woke, Damian had made a habit of leaving him notes, Tim collected them and stored them in a small box stowed away in his dresser. 

'See... I don't deprive you! - D'

Tim's face mirrored his internal confusion. He had no idea what it meant, the smell of the smoothie was too inticing for him to ponder over a piece of paper. He swallowed the pills, gulping down the thick liquid to wash them down. The extra few hours sleep had soothed his head to a dull annoyance.

He hopped into the shower and got to work preparing for his later antics. He scrubbed hard, making sure he was extra clean, he trimmed hair where he could, and used his most pampering, nourishing body wash. Damian always endeavored to look and feel perfect. Tim thought it was time to equally match his efforts.

Finding a suitable outfit was proving to be the most challenging task of the morning. Where they spent all their nights in tight heavy clothes and capes, the bat-clan had taken to wearing leggings, tracksuits and pyjamas around the Manor in their downtime. But on holiday gatherings Alfred had made it clear that everyone had to dress in a normal outfit for the day. He did try to get everyone in their Sunday best, but they had to comprise on just regular everyday wear.

Tim shrugged on a baggy old Thrasher jumper from his teen years and a pair of slim jeans. He couldn't help but cuff them at the bottom. He stared in the mirror and frowned. "I still look like skater?" he said aloud.

* * *

After baking muffins and preparing a fruit salad for breakfast, Damian took a walk into the garden for supplies. He plucked some parsnips, carrots and potatoes from the vegetable patch and bundled them into his basket. The courtyard on the other side of the grounds beckoned to him, Damian was unable to resist the call.

"Hello Grandfather." Damian greeted the headstone as he brushed the dead orange leaves from its surface. "You'd be pleased to know Jason is going to help with the cooking. He's actually been staying over this week. He's anxious of course and won't stop smoking but he's here that's what you always wanted."

Damian sat on the cold ground and crossed his legs. Thankfully it had been a dry week, cold but dry. The dry leaves crackled as he sat. "I'm following your lead on this one. I am even using the carrots and parsnips from your vegetable patch to honey roast them. I can't get it right, you put an extra seasoning in there and I can not figure it out."

The crunch of leaves behind him jolted Damian from his one sided conversation. Duke stood like a deer in headlights. Pinned still by Damian's accusatory scowl. "Sorry. I couldn't see you from behind the tree. I'll come back later."

"Nonsense. Come sit." Damian softened his face. Duke propped the single rose he'd been holding against the stone and took a seat next to Damian. The sat in silence for a few minutes, just absorbing each others company. "I like talking to him sometimes. He was always the best to vent to." Damian broke the silence with his confession. Before Duke only Bruce knew of Damian's conversations here.

"I feel like it's wrong for me to be here right now. I only knew Alfred for two years. Don't you want privacy?" Duke picked at a blade of grass.

"It doesn't matter how long you knew him. Don't be a idiot. You're family too, you are my brother so you should absolutely be here."

Duke wrapped Damian into a half-hug. "You do have some shining moments when you're nice." Duke squeezed him. 

"Tt, you tell anyone and I'll stab you in your sleep." 

Duke sighed. "Ya had to ruin it." 

They walked back to the Manor together, sharing little stories and tidbits about Alfred when the echo of a motorbike cracked through the air. Damian ran through the house and ripped the front door open. 

* * *

Dick dismounted his bike and removed his helmet, letting his grown out hair flow about in the breeze. He may have settled in Blüdhaven, but Wayne Manor is always home. "Richard!" a voice called from the door. Next thing Dick knew, he was being crushed into a hug by his former Robin.

"Yeah alright Damian, hello to you too." He squealed. Damian released him from the hold and smoothed out his own shirt.

"Sorry, I got too excited. We didn't know if you'd make it." Damian shoved his hands deep into his pockets and looked away. A small blush dusted his cheekbones.

"Aww that's okay. You missed me." He ruffled through Damian's perfectly styled hair. "It's hard not to."

"Piss off." Damian swatted at Dick's hand. "Come on. It's cold and everyone's already inside."

Dick followed Damian up the steps into his childhood home. The house was filled with chatter and noise, such an odd sound for a place usually so quiet. Cassandra tackled him into a hug and Duke slapped him on the shoulder.

"The turkey is in, nobody touch the fuckin oven if you wanna keep ya kneecaps." Jason stormed in through the dining room and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his older brother.

"Jase!" Dick beamed at him. His eyes lit up like a fire. It had been months since he saw Jason. There was no bad blood, in fact they had been getting along better than ever, but they could never quite find the time to reunite.

"Dick." Jason stated. He tried and failed to rid his voice of emotion.

"Come here." Dick strode across the room and enveloped his brother in a long overdue embrace. Jason's arms slowly reciprocated Dick's tight hold. "I can't believe you're here." He whisped into Jason's ear.

"Well, with B away I thought it'd be easier." Jason gave a final squeeze before pushing Dick away. All eyes were on the pair, staring over Dick's shoulder at Jason's rare display of an emotion other than anger or displeasure. "Ain't you lot got anything better to do." Jason barked. They all averted their eyes and sat back down.

"So Detective Grayson. Come to arrest us all for vigilantism." Jason said. He slipped off his apron and folded it over his arms.

"That's Detective Sergeant now actually. I got a promotion. I didn't brag about it because it happened the same week as Tim's uhh, accident." Jason pressed his lips into a line. "Speaking of which, where is Tim?" Dick quickly steered the conversation away from tragedy.

"Think he's still in bed. I made cocktails last night and he knocked back more that any of us." Jason whipped his apron at Duke for no reason.

"I'll go wake him up!" Dick said as he bounded out the room.

* * *

Damian conveniently slipped away while Dick was talking with Jason. He crept through Tim's door to see him admiring himself in the mirror. "I still look like a skater." Tim said, unaware of Damian's presence.

Damian slid behind him, cupping Tim's rear with his hands. "You want me to start singing Avril Lavigne?" he kissed Tim's neck while staring at him in the mirror.

Tim giggled. "I'd pay so much to see that." He gasped when Damian sucked harder, he instinctively bared his neck to the young man, giving him unlimited access. Damian slid his hands up Tim's waist and squeezed. Tim jerked forward and lost his balance, he tugged onto Damian shirt bringing both of then crashing into the floor. They burst into a fit of laughter. "Sorry it tickled." Tim blushed and tugged Damian back down to meet his lips. Damian swung his leg over and straddled Tim carefully, he resumed his assault on Tim's neck. Pinching at his sides to make Tim squirm from his tickling. 

* * *

Dick bounded up the familiar steps, he wouldn't even need his eyes open to navigate the entire Manor. He walked down the hallway all the way to Tim's room. The door was ajar and voices murmured from within. As he got closer the voices started to make sense. He had to strain but he could just about hear... A struggle! 

"Damian! Uhhhh." Tim sounded like he was whimpering in pain!

Dick burst into the door. Tim's tell-tale pink socks poked out from the other side of the bed. Dick quickly deduced that Tim was pinned down, possibly being smothered by the muffled noises. 

He rushed forward and threw Damian across the room with every ounce of strength he could muster, the boy's head ricocheted off Tim's dresser, subduing him while he saw stars and robins flying before eyes.

"Tim are you-"

"Dick what the fuck are you doing." Tim interrupted. He rushed over to his boyfriend and laid him flat on the floor. "Dami! Dami are you okay."

Dick scanned Tim for obvious injuries from afar. That's when the pieces fell into place. The dark red spots littered by Tim's collar. The whimpering of pain or rather pleasure he heard. Tim wasn't being attacked, they were getting off with each other! 

Damian propped himself up on his elbow and rubbed the back of his head. Tim stroked a thumb over Damian's jaw.

"Can someone please explain. I'm losing my mind here. You're gay?" Dick ran a hand through his hair and waved at the pair on the floor. "I-I thought he was attacking you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Grayson. Nice to see after all this time you'd still think so little of me." Damian turned his nose up in disgust.

"Hey I didn't know what I was hearing. It's not like I expected to see you two-" He waved his hand around as an attempt to not say what they were doing out loud.

"People usually knock first Dick. Or call out maybe." Tim chided. He turned his attention back to Damian who was now sitting upright. "How many times are we gonna get caught eh?"

"Is this like new? What is this?" Dick was short of breath. The adrenaline spike from the supposed imminent danger was wearing off.

"Richard meet Timothy, my boyfriend." Damian's attempt at humour came out bitter and overly sarcastic. Enough to make Dick's face twist awkwardly.

"Boyfriend? Tim I know we always joked about Superboy but you're actually gay?" Tim nodded shamefully. He knew what was coming, the lecture and the questions about being sure or this whole thing being a phase. "Why you two, of all people."

Tim's brain stalled. He whipped his head round as he reconfigured. He met Damian's deep emerald stare, after weeks he only just noticed a large fleck of brown in Damian's left iris. His shaky hand cradled Damian's cheek, he closed the gap between them, connecting their lips. The kiss was short but crackled with electricity. The last puzzle piece in Tim's brain slotted into place, showing him the full picture. Tim felt the words tumbling out. For once he was thankful for his mental filter phasing out, or he'd would never have the courage to say it with a proper mind.

"Because I'm in love with him."

The silence in the room was deafening, Damian's breath hitching sounded more like a shriek. The pounding of Tim's heart in his ears may as well have been a marching band. Damian's mouth pulled into the most gleeful smile Tim had ever seen from him.

"I love you too." Damian uttered breathlessly. "I love the way hum old songs when you think no one is listening. I love how you eat the most disgusting combination of pizza toppings. I love how you take photos of literally everything but never develop the photos. I love how you really try to force yourself to like what I like even though it doesn't interest you. I love the thing you do with your leg to make me sleep. I love everything about you, and I really love how easily you blush like right now."

Tim was suddenly aware of the hot sensation enveloping his face. "Dami, I love how you have a thousand of everything no matter what it is. I love how you draw masterpieces on old paperwork at the office and call them doodles. I love how you leave me little notes everywhere, I keep them all and put them in a box. I love how after our first date, for weeks after I'd catch you in office using two pens like chopsticks to practice and you still couldn't get it. I love the subtle questions you ask throughout the day so you can plan a good date. I love that you never apologise for being you. I love that you made yourself vulnerable for me and let me past the wall you've spent years building up." Tim's bottom lip quivered as he let out a shaky breath. "I love you Damian Wayne."

Damian's eyes started to look glassy. "I love you Tim Drake." they leaned their foreheads against each others and fell into another embrace. Tim felt like a weight had been lifted. It felt like he'd been caged up, and only after professing his love was he allowed to fly.

A sob from across the room ripped them from their bliss. They had forgotten Dick was even in the room, he was pressing his palms into his eyes to stop tears from flowing. "Shit. That was beautiful." He choked out. "I feel bad for even questioning you two. I was stupid. What the hell was I thinking. I was so horrible to you two a minute ago. I'm sorry." He retracted his palms, revealing a tear streaked face and bloodshot eyes. "Just one question and that's it: Are you absolutely sure?"

"Without a doubt." Damian answered automatically.

"Without a doubt." Tim parroted.

Dick smiled proudly. "Good. I'm really sorry again."

He helped Damian and Tim to stand, and apologised profusely for throwing Damian. He hugged both boys into his chest like a proud mother and ushered them downstairs.

* * *

"I've got to get back to dinner prep. Will you be okay in the lion's den?" Damian stopped just outside the living room in the entrance area.

"Can I help? There's surely something I can do." 

"I need some vegetables cut. Nothing too strenuous." Damian said as he lead Tim through the house and into the kitchen. "They have been washed, no need to peel them. Just do the carrots and parsnips. Chop the ends off then slice them length ways into quarters."

Damian left Tim with a large knife and went about his other duties. Tim struggled to control the veg with his useless hand, the first carrot came out looking like a child had tried to cut it with safety scissors. "Oh I'm sorry." Damian rushed over "I didn't think about the hand."

"I wanna do it. I'm not an invalid." Tim snapped. 

"Of course. Here, I'll help." Damian stood behind Tim, his strong shoulders curling round Tim's small frame. He gripped Tim's hand holding the knife and use his own fingers as a cutting guide. He worked Tim's hand, sliding precisely down the middle of the orange vegetable, again and again. "See. Teamwork." They sliced through the batch together until only a few remained.

"I'm sure that took twice as long with you helping me. Stupid hand." Tim stared at his damaged limb.

Damian stooped down to kiss his lover. "We both know you couldn't do that even if you were fully functional." He cut the last of the batch, his eyes fixed on Tim and not the sharp blade in his hand.

"Now you're just showing off."

Damian laughed childishly. "I was given my first knife at age 3. I know what I'm doing."

* * *

Jason and Damian chased everyone out the dining room to set the table. It wasn't even close to Alfred's usual grand spread, but there was a table cloth, plates and cutlery. So the boys called it a victory.

They piled the table high with the fruit of their labour. A huge dish of mashed potatoes, a dish of homemade cranberry sauce, Alfred's recipe stuffing. Damian set down a large tray of Alfred's staple honey roasted carrots and parsnips. He couldn't resist picking one off the tray and shoving it into his mouth before anyone saw. Jason very nearly dropped the green bean casserole. Jason started to carve the turkey before the vultures descended. It was a feast for the all the senses.

"Dinner shit heads." Jason barked though the door. The swarm of hungry vigilantes flocked to the table and fought over who was sitting where. Dick took up the seat at the head of the table. Damian, Tim and Jason to his left. Cass and Duke to his right.

"Vegetarian gravy is in the green gravy boat. Normal in the red. We have proper stuffing as grandfather would say. The cranberry sauce was made a few days ago. And I made the bread rolls fresh this morning." Damian pointed as he spoke, making sure he didn't have to answer any questions while eating. They circled their plates pilling them high. Damian made up Tim's plate before his own.

"Wait hold on. We gotta go round and say what we're thankful for." Dick's smile faded when he was attacked by the viscous scowls of the group.

"I'm totally thankful I nearly died." Tim said before smirking mischievously.

"Oh yeah. I'm thankful I actually died." Jason snorted.

"Ooo I died too. I'm thankful I was a test tube baby grown for spare parts intended for a ancient madman." Damian joined in their dark humor. Cass and Duke covered their mouths, stopping a laugh from erupting. 

"Guys come on it's thanksgiving." Dick pleaded.

"This entire holiday is fake." Damian countered. "I just join in because father wanted me to and I'm one of two people here that can cook. You seem to forget I'm not American and I don't care for these customs."

"Okay fine. But the point is we're all together... Mostly. We don't get this often so I want us to enjoy it." Dick puffed his chest out, Jason rolled his eyes knowing that a bloated speech was coming. "I'm thankful that we're all well and can come together for at least today and I'm thankful for Damian and Jay cooking all day to give us this."

Jason raised his beer and grunted. "I suppose I'm happy I can be in this house without being judged for once."

"I'm thankful for Grandfather. Who's recipes and guidance that make this holiday bearable." Damian smiled faintly at the table. Alfred would have been proud.

"To Alfred." Dick said. He held his glass up.

"To Alfred." Everyone said in unison.

They dug in. Tim stared at his plate hard. He maneuvered the fork through his damaged fingers and tried in vain to cut though his food. He nudged Damian with his foot, who took notice and immediately saw the problem. 

"Is that the cave alarm?" Damian wondered aloud. 

As he predicted, everyone jumped up and ran through he house to the cave. He quickly went about cutting up the food on Tim's plate into pieces that could be eaten with a fork alone. "Thanks." Tim muttered, he was blushing from embarrassment. 

"Its okay. I forgot we've been having easy-to-eat food for the past weeks. Don't be embarrassed." 

Everyone walked into the room again. Confused at the false alarm. "I thought you heard the alarm?" Dick said accusingly. 

"Tt. I thought I heard it. That didn't mean go sprinting away from the table. Perhaps I hit my head and I'm hallucinating." Damian frowned and pursed his lips. 

Dick conceded, feeling guilty about his earlier actions. 

* * *

"Okay I think its time to drink. Who want's cocktails?" Jason slapped his knees and got up from his seat on the sofa. They had finished dinner and piled into the living room to watch a film as per tradition. Damian served his homemade pecan cheesecake for desert. They were on the second movie when Jason felt like drinking.

Tim's stomach churned. "Not tonight Jay. I'm traumatised from last night."

"I can't have one. I've gotta drive back after this finishes." Dick waved his declination.

"More for me then." Jason left. The rattle of glass bottles sounded from the kitchen.

"Hey Damian." Tim whispered. "Follow me to our room in 10 minutes or so, just so it don't look suspicious." Tim got up and left up the stairs. Damian following after 10 minutes as instructed.

"So what did you neeeeeeed." Damian trailed off when he entered the room. Tim stood trouserless holding a bottle of lube and his largest black butt plug.

* * *

"Right I gotta go. Sorry I can't stay but it was a nightmare to even get today off. They need a bridge directly connecting Gotham to the Blüd." Dick stood and made his way to the entrance. Slipping on his shoes and retrieving his helmet. He hugged his goodbyes with Jason, Duke and Cass, waiting until they had left before he addressed Damian and Tim.

"I'm really happy for you both. It'll take me some getting used to. I'm sorry for what I said earlier." He yanked both boys into a hug. Tim squirmed and writhed in the hug, the plug moved around as Dick squeezed. "Uhh ahhh Dick let go."

Dick stared inquisitively. "My ribs." Tim lied while rubbing his chest.

"Oh shit I'm sorry." Dick apologised and ruffled through Tim's growing hair. He opened the door before hesitatating, "Be good to each other. Please. I never thought I'd see the day where you two were even friends with eachother. Seeing you both today, it's nice, you really bring something out in eachother. Like Bruce and Selena, Arthur and Mera or Lois and Clark."

They saw him off, Damian squeezed Tim's behind and pushed the plastic further in through the fabric. Tim's legs nearly buckled but he continued to wave Dick off with a poker face. They returned to the living room to find Duke and Cass passed out on each others shoulder, and Jason polishing off yet another drink. "Hey Jay we're gonna go to bed."

Jason grumbled an indistinct response, he cleared his throat: "Yeah 'm gonna put another film on, I probably won't make it upstairs."

Damian and Tim grinned to each other and raced up the steps to their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much to talk about!
> 
> Dick was a confused little birdy. His reaction was based one one I actually witnessed in real life. It's funny how when you find out something like that your emotions can switch so many times
> 
> The little sibling relationships were really fun to do. Like dick and Jason's interaction. 
> 
> I'd like you to keep in mind that. Even though it seems like they fell in love quickly, they've known each other for over 10 years and Tim has been back in Gotham for 14 weeks. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought. :)


	28. Loving you (Smut)

Damian closed the door carefully. He throbbed in anticipation. He been dangled by a string since Tim asked him to put in a butt plug an hour ago. Tim was squealing and clawing at the sheets while Damian maneuvered the toy inside. Damian begged to fuck Tim there and then but Tim said he needed the plug in for a while to be able to take him. He stroked Damian's ego and reminded him how well endowed he was. But Tim wasn't budging, he could not take a 9 inch girthy member without serious prep.

Tim removed his jumper and pawed at Damian's tshirt. Tim ripped the top over his head and nipped his teeth over Damian's dark nipples, making them harden under his teeth. "Timothy" Damian choked. "Bed"

Tim slid out of his trousers and laid himself on the bed sheets displaying himself fully. Damian stood at the end of the bed, he massaged up Tim's calfs and back down to his ankles. He slipped his tumbs into the elastic of Tim's pink socks and pulled them free in one motion. He bent down and licked from Tim's heel, up the arch of his foot. Tim's toes curled and he jerked away. "Damian! that tickles." Tim stifled a giggle. Damian licked again, this time sucking down on the sensitive area of his arch.

An unruly laugh ripped out of Tim, he squirmed to escape Damian's tongue.

Damian pulled Tim's boxers from his legs and crawled up the bed. He peppered kisses on each thigh until Tim's erection was brushing his hair. He engulfed one of Tim's balls and lapped his tongue over the smooth skin. His long fingers curled round Tim and stroked up and down, painfully slow. Dribbles of pre cum leaked down over Damian's knuckles.

"Dami I'm not gonna last long. I haven't came like this in weeks and what you're doing is heaven." Tim groaned breathlessly. His head arched back into the pillows. "I've just been twisting one out in the shower."

"Who ever said you were only cumming once tonight?" Damian purred he slid the plug out a little way, thankful that Tim had a good quality lube that didn't dry in minutes. He swallowed Tim down until the head of his cock slid past his throat. Simultaneously he pushed the plug back in deep. "Holy fuck!"

Damian slid his tight lips back up slowly, agonisingly slow. The tip of his tongue flicked across the underside of Tim's dick. He pulled the plug out again before repeating his earlier action. Tim bucked his hips up mercilessly, Damian's nose brushed his trimmed pubes. He sucked up again before plunging down a final time. This time however he twisted the plug inside Tim.

He jerked and convulsed as he released himself down Damian's throat. Damian twisted the toy again, pressing in and up towards Tim's sweet spot. Another jet splattered down Damian's windpipe. Tim panted and writhed, desperately trying to escape the over stimulation. 

"F-Fuck me." Tim gasped. He was lost for words. 

"No Tim." Damian crawled up and kissed Tim's neck gently. "Tonight I'm going to love you." Damian locked his mouth with Tim's tasting a faint trace of blood where Tim had bitten his lip. Tim invited his tongue in, licking into Damian's mouth and letting Damian explore his. 

"Condoms. Top drawer." Tim whispered while catching his breath. Damian hopped off to retrieve a rubber. He pulled his trousers and briefs down, freeing himself to the cold air. Tim put some pillows under his back, giving his lover better access. 

Damian sat between Tim's spread legs. He stroked himself while Tim watched with unbridled lust. He hooked his fingers round the toys long base and slid the black plastic from Tim's opening. He quickly replaced the empty space with lube slicked fingers. There was no need to work his way up, three fingers were engulfed by Tim with ease. "You're so gorgeous." He pressed a fourth in and marveled at the control Tim exhibited. He comfortably twisted and pumped Tim's hole, until his cock stood to attention again. 

"No more waiting. I want you." Tim moaned. "Please, it's been so long." 

Damian slid the latex down his length. And pressed himself at Tim's entrance. He eased himself in, feeling the ring of muscle hug him and he pushed in further. Tim's mouth parted in ecstasy. Small gasps and pants was all he could manage. His face ran the gauntlet of emotions: agony, pain, discomfort, pleasure, ecstasy, love.

Once he was fully sheathed, he stooped down to kiss his lover. Tim's lips trembled inbetween Damian's. He thrust his hips slowly. Allowing Tim to adjust he pecked and licked down Tim's neck. Tim's arms snaked round him and settled on his shoulders, much like their first time. Tim pulled Damian close. His legs wrapped around Damian's back in a display of flexibility, the angle allowed for more access. Damian's next thrust penetrated deeper. It was like Damian's cock had pushed the low throaty cry from Tim's lungs. 

They laid in a tangle of limbs, Tim was pinned to the mattress by Damian's cock. He closed his eyes as Damian marked his property on Tim's collarbone. He savoured every sensation. The aroma of sweat and Damian's aftershave sent shock waves through him. The heavy pants of Damian as he sped up and chased his climax filled the air. The burning touch of Damian's strong hands resting delicately on his face. 

Tim committed every detail to memory. This moment with his boyfriend was the first ever time Tim had made love. His heart swelled and a hot feeling bubbled up from his stomach. The warmth spread from his toes to his fingertips. 

"I love you" Tim stuttered. 

Damian stared into his eyes. His teeth bared in a bashful smile. "I love you too Timothy." Damian caressed Tim's face between his hands and stroked through his hair. His thrusts were ragged and uncontrolled. He growled as he came, pressing himself deep into Tim. His eyes rolled and his jaw clenched, his entire body tensed and jerked as he fell over the edge. 

Still filling Tim, he regained his senses and pulled away from the warmth of Tim's body and began to stroke Tim's begging cock. Moving his own overstimulated erection against Tim's prostate. Tim's hole clenched and released, spasming as he approached his climax.

Cum rocketed out of him, striping up his body and onto his chin, lips and nose. Damian wasted no time cleaning up. He licked every morsel from Tim's abdomen. He held Tim's jaw in his hand and licked from Tim's chin, over his lips and to his nose. 

"Stop" Tim giggled and pushed Damian's face away. Damian slid his softened length from Tim and tied the condom up. He wrapped it in a tissue and placed it carefully on the bedside table. He laid next to Tim and intertwined their fingers. 

"That was amazing Timothy." Damian said after a good 20 minutes of him and his lover laying starstruck and staring at the ceiling. 

"I haven't been fucked in years. I forgot how much fun it is." Tim laughed and adjusted himself. 

"How about this time. You can clean up first and get the shower running. I'll replace the bedding." Damian looked across the pillow at Tim who was still staring into space. 

"Yeah I suppose that's fair. I usually leave you with a bigger mess anyway" Tim knelt up on the bed and stetched his back. Damian couldn't help but knead Tim's bare ass in his palm. Tim slapped his hand away and chuckled. Before limping off to the bathroom. "Jeez, Its like it's still in me." Tim groaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was shorter that the last one. But I felt It got the point across. This wasn't just sex, it's about loving each other.


	29. The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Tim have a serious conversation about their pasts.

They crawled into the fresh sheets and curled into each other. They decided against clothes, knowing that they were both fucked-out and wouldn't be tempted to go again. Damian took up the big spoon position, their clean bodies slotted together like a puzzle. 

"Do you really keep all my notes?" Damian asked. His hand traced circles on Tim's hipbone. 

"Yeah they're all in a little box in the back in the second drawer." Tim answered truthfully. 

"That's so sweet." Damian nuzzled Tim's neck. 

"I've got a few of your doodles as you call them pinned on my notice board in my new office." Tim added. It was useless to lie now. 

"If you want some drawings, I could do one of you if you'd sit still long enough." 

"Have you ever seen Titanic?" Tim seemingly changed the subject. 

"Do you want me to draw you like a french girl Timothy?" Damian chuckled into Tim's neck. He caught onto Tim's thought the second he mentioned Titanic. He envisioned Tim spread out in his bed, propped up with silk pillows. 

"You'll have to make me look bigger. If I want to hang it up somewhere then I have to look good." Tim held his hands out and spaced his fingers out, leaving a foot long gap between them. 

"Your penis is more than big enough Timothy." the eye roll was obvious in Damian's voice. 

"By that logic yours is too big." 

Damian clicked his tongue. "We are not teenagers Timothy. Penis size is inconsequential and needn't be compared." 

"You compared dick sizes when you were a teenager?" Tim rolled over to face him. A hot blush crept over Damian's face. 

"I-I thought everyone did that." Damian stuttered. 

"Maybe. I didn't have many friends to compare dicks with." Tim poked Damian's pec. "Was it Jon? Did he show you his super-soaker?"

Damian's blush darkened impossibly. "It wasn't Jon!" Damian breathed slowly to calm down. Now was a better time than any to enlighten Tim on his past. "Remember when father sent me to that boarding school you went to? Brentwood?" Tim nodded. "Well my roommate didn't wear many clothes in the evening, he was just comfortable in boxers. Because I knew I was gay I never mentioned anything because he was nice to look at. He played lacrosse and hockey so he kept in shape. Eventually I got comfortable enough to change in front of him because he did the same." Damian trailed off and bit his lip. 

"I don't mind hearing about this if that's what you're worried about." Tim flashed a warm encouraging smile. Tim had missed the mark on Damian's discomfort, but his encouragement was welcomed. 

"Okay." He sucked in a breath and carried on recalling the events. "So one time I caught him looking at me. So I snapped and asked why he's staring and he said I had a nicer penis than his other friends. I couldn't help but ask why he'd seen his friends genitalia. He said that all the boys do it. They compare sizes. Before I knew it we were pressed up next to each other seeing who was bigger."

Damian chuckled dryly. "I'd never been that close to another dick before. I was so excited that I got cocky and asked him if he wanted to masturbate with me. That's the story of my first sexual experience. That's also the story of how I met my first boyfriend. We went to college together after finishing school and I got outed by the press with him." 

"That's the guy? That's Alex?" Tim was taken aback at Damian's honesty. 

"Can you keep a secret for me?" Tim nodded again and squeezed Damian's bicep. "You cannot tell father, but the reason I got outed was because he set up the photo opportunity. He sold our entire relationship."

"He what?" Why would he do that?" Tim felt a possessive anger growing in the depths of his gut. 

"He was unhappy because I could never say long at night. I was constantly hiding myself. I never introduced him as my boyfriend to Father. I was tired 24/7. Alex never said he was unhappy though, he was always smiley and goofy with me. Of course he was cheating on me throughout which I found out later after some detective work."

"I'm really sorry Dami." Tim's stroked his cheek.

"After the picture surfaced of us. I went straight to his place to tell him. I had a key so I unlocked the door but I walk so quietly that Alex didn't register I was there. He was blind drunk and on the phone to the paper getting them to transfer his money over." Damian's breath hitched and he fought back emotions. "I confronted him. He didn't even attempt to defend himself. Just nodded while I fell apart."

Damian picked a loose thread on the pillowcase. "He snapped after I asked him if he ever loved me. He called me a liar, a fake and I'll quote him here 'A scared little boy who's afraid to come out and be himself. No wonder my mother didn't want me.' He said I was nothing but a dirty slut who wanted his cock but not the commitment. He said I was forcing him back into the closet and that I should've died in the car accident and spared him and everyone else the years of his life I'd wasted."

The infamous car crash was a story Bruce had fabricated to explain Damian's scarring and his late entrance into Bruce's life. To the world, Damian's mother was grief stricken after losing her husband in the crash and sent Damian to live in Gotham. Tim was present at Bruce's press interview. 

"I begged and I begged like a coward. I taunted him. Made him angry. Anything I could do for him to give me something. Before I knew it he had pounced on me while I was distracted and was hitting me. He didn't know I was Robin so I easily overpowered him and left. Cassandra had searched the city and found me crying on a rooftop. Father doesn't know what happened and I'd like it to stay that way." 

"Damian I'm so sorry. I can't imagine being led on like that." 

Damian steeled his face to conceal any emotion. "I can take a punch but it's the fact that he thought he'd be able to beat me and I couldn't fight back. He didn't say he was unhappy. Not once. Alex, he was so angry at me for not embracing our relationship fully. I wasn't ready to come out. He obviously only stuck around for the sex. I didn't want any more pain so I just left him to collect his money and leave Gotham."

"Look at me. I love you Damian. We can tell people about us when you're ready. I'd never force you into anything. I feel even worse about pushing you the other day now." Tim kissed Damian's cheek and held his hand. Tim wanted to Damian to know he was here for him. He held his hand like he was never going to release him. 

"Tim don't. Of course I know. That's the past. I got over it quickly and it hasn't bothered me since. It's important you knew though. Cassandra still gets very protective when men get close to me as you already know. Coming out was the best thing that ever happened to me, all this happened at the very start of college so I had time to find someone new. I've been on magazine covers. Done interviews. Charity work. I'd don't hold a grudge." 

"Was everyone shocked?" 

Damian clicked his tongue. "I didn't really hide who I was. I'd often comment on men's looks. I think I was caught with my eyes lingering where they shouldn't way before I was outed. But no one asked me if I liked boys so it didn't come up. It was easier to hint at it then say it outright, but I think people just mistook it for me not knowing social norms. I am the son of an infamous playboy, I was expected to be straight even more so than regular children. Father didn't care either way. Richard flapped around and started to cry, he was so proud of me for staying strong and not letting Alex get to me. Cassandra said nothing but she's always been supportive. Jason oddly didn't say anything, but after your friend Bunker visited we all know how he feels. Jason still makes the off gay joke but they're not in anyway mean spirited, they actaully helped at first. Me being gay doesn't come up that often, it was hot news in Gotham for 2 weeks then a different scandal stole the front page."

"Hmm. Aside from Dick no one has made a big deal about me." Tim frowned. "Even Steph, I didn't want to hurt her but she couldn't care less."

"How did you know you were gay Timothy?" 

"For a long time I thought I was bi. Me and Steph were genuinely happy together. But the more I look back on it, the more I see that I was never invested as her boyfriend, just as a friend. She's like the best friend I could've asked for. We never had sex only other stuff. Even though sometimes I'd think of a guy when she was y'know." Tim made a crude suckling motion that made Damian chuckle. "I don't really know a specific point where I knew. But it got to a point where it went from 'what if' thoughts and fantasies, to jerking off to men, chasing men, when people asked if I was seeing anyone my mind would jump to this hot barista in downtown San Francisco that I was lusting after. I tried really hard to like girls. I tried to will myself into being bi but it always felt wrong. I could never see a future with a girl. Anytime I tried to have sex with a woman I was so weirded out that I couldn't stay hard. The first time I had sex with a man things kind of fell into place. Girls weren't ever going to be for me. Kinda obvious considering how many relationships Robin fucked up and how I just got over it."

"I'm sorry if I out a downer on the evening Timothy. It did feel good to tell someone other than Jon or Cassandra." Damian looked down into the sheets.

Tim cradled Damian's jaw in his hand. "It's not a downer. I love that you felt comfortable with opening up to me. There's never a bad time for conversations like these. Never." Damian smirked and leaned into Tim's hand, he closed his eyes and savoured the contact. "You didn't answer one question though... Did you ever want to see Jon's super-soaker?" Tim wiggled his eyebrows. 

"Tiiiim. Did you ever want to see the clone's?" Damian shrugged out of Tim's hand and pouted. 

"Oh I've seen it. We've all seen each other naked. I've lived with most of them for years, there's missions gone wrong, you walk in on them doing something steamy. Torn clothes in training. And Bart could sometimes get so excited he'd phase out of his clothes." Tim recalled all the awkward moments in his head. 

Damian opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. The conversation could be had another time.

"We should sleep. I know if we carry on this conversation we'll be up until 4am arguing shit like what Green Lantern would you fuck." Tim pecked Damian's lips and rolled back over. He traced his leg hair up and down Damian's bare leg. 

"Kyle Rayner. He's pretty. Hal is a dick." Damian whispered. 

"For sure. But John has that rugged manky quality. Total dom in the bedroom type." Tim giggled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was basically just dialogue, but it's important stuff. Damian opening up to Tim is an important step forward.
> 
> We now see why cassandra was so protective over Damian a few chapters back.


	30. Be vigilant, Commissioner

"Are you sure you want to go in today."

Tim sighed and straightened up his tie. "That's the third time you've asked and the answer is still yes. Damian I'm fine. Stop smothering me."

"You'll call if you want to go home though right?" Damian laced his shoes and shined then with a cloth.

"Damian. I can't go home halfway though a day. I feel great, I've been itching to get back to work. You'll probably see me anyway, I've got to show some transfer scientists around." Tim admired himself in the mirror. He'd opted for a sharp all black three piece suit. The darkness was broken up by a silver striped tie.

"Goodness. Not more of them." Damian grumbled.

"It didn't make sense to have two research branches anymore. I know it's getting cramped but that's because they're still moving in." Tim flicked Damian's ear and left the room with his laundry hamper. 

Damian caught up with Tim as he finished loading the washing machine. Tim measured out the fabric conditioner to the correct millilitre and dumped it in the drum. "You're so domesticated Timothy. Can you hand launder my joggers. There's a very stubborn cum stain some pretty little rich boy got on me." 

Tim hid his mischievous smirk. "You're the one who wanted to pull a quickie." Tim leaned over the washer to replace the fabric conditioner on the shelf above. His tailored trousers hugged in all the right places, enough to rile Damian up instantly. He prowled up behind, his hips pressed flush with Tim's rear. 

"I wouldn't mind another go." Damian purred down Tim's neck. He bent Tim to 90° over the washer and roamed his hands over Tim's back. Tim gasped and pushed back onto Damian's crotch.

"As much as I'd love to, we're already running late." Disappointnent riddled Tim's voice. Damian clicked his tongue, but condeeded nonetheless.

* * *

Tim thanked the researcher for her help with the door. He did not need nor want anyone's help, but his unlucky 'car accident' dragged out sympathy from everyone. This researcher had been particularly attentive today. Tim was starting to get uncomfortable with her lingering eyes and longer than comfortable touches. Not because she was a woman, but because she was pretty much harrasing him. 

The lab was bustling as usual. There was not an empty workstation in the entire space. Tim scanned the room for one workstation in particular. Damian's grey shirt, rolled up at the sleeves stood out among the crowd. Tim approached the station and announced his presence. "Damian. Can I have a minute." 

"Just. Finishing. This..." Damian's sentence came out broken, he was too focused on his task to talk. Tim turned and gave a polite smile to his entourage. 

_He looks adorable._ Tim swooned. 

Damian was soldering components onto what looked to be a Tamaranean circuit board. He gripped a magnifying lens in his eyes socket and scowled to keep it in place. His tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth. He was concentrated fully on the work, his expert hands made the task look easy. Damian popped the magnifier out and examined his work. He swiveled his stool round and blushed at the sight of Tim's following. "I'm sorry. I thought Timothy was alone. I wouldn't usually keep guests waiting." Damian apologied and stood to greet everyone. 

"Not guests, Co-workers. Damian meet Linda Ashdown and Warren McGinnis." Tim stepped aside to let Damian greet his new co-workers. 

"Pleasure to meet you both." Damian shook both the young lady's hand and the older man's. 

"Linda here is a newer addition to the team like you. But Warren has been working in the old lab across town for over 10 years. I hoped you'd show them both around and maybe tell them what we've been working on." 

"Sure. Anything for you Mr Drake." Damian gave Tim a wink he was sure the others could not see.

"Right then." Tim's cheeks turned a bright shade of scarlet. "I'll be off, welcome to the new Wayne Research Institute guys." Tim shook the researchers hands one last time. 

"I hope you feel better soon mister Drake. I expect you're being taken care of properly." Linda said. Her hand lingered for way longer than it should've. Tim shifted and retrieved his hand. He shot a look at Damian who's face was twitching. 

_Please don't get jealous of her Dami_. Tim sighed in his head. 

* * *

Damian tapped his foot impatiently in the elevator. He held the bag of sandwiches in one hand and a tray of coffees in the other. _This is tedious._ Damian thought. _I could have taken the stairs up quicker._

The doors opened and Damian shoved his way past the throng of secretaries and assistants. He had always hated these top floors. Bruce's and Lucius' offices were just above them on the very top floor. This floor was reserved strictly for directors and the main conference room. He walked purposely through the long corridor, Damian desperately wanted to avoid being collared by an old fat cat who wanted him to say hi to his Father and tell him how much he's grown. 

To his dismay, his destination was on the other side of the building, he wrapped his knuckles on the door and admired Tim's style. The chrome nameplate on the door stood out against the black frame: 

**Timothy Drake**

**Director of the Wayne Research Institute**

"Come in." Tim shouted from the other side. 

Damian nudged the door open and marvelled at the huge space Tim now occupied at work. Tim sat infront of a wall of windows that overlooked the Gotham skyline. 

The office had it's own reception area. Two pristine leather sofas lined either side of the sunken floor. Chrome was clearly a theme Tim had chosen to run throughout. Every fitting was polished and reflective. 

Tim bolted up from his glass desk and rushed across the room. "Oh I've missed you." Damian smiled and averted his gaze waiting for the inevitable hug. Tim ignored Damian completely and took the largest cup of coffee from the tray. He guzzled half the cup before turning to Damian. "Missed you too Dami, but my coffee machine broke weeks ago and no one replaced it like I asked. I've been relying on energy drinks and tea that I later found out was decaff." 

Damian would've been offended, but his sight was captured by Tim's notice board. Tim had told him he kept a few of Damian's doodles, but the large notice board was plastered by a collage of Damian's work. Only a third of the board was visible. "Timothy you said a couple of drawings. This is a whole portfolio!"

"I liked them." Tim shrugged and collapsed on one of the reception sofas, hugging his cup. "Thank god you're here. I've had the day from hell."

Damian sat next to his boyfriend and set their sandwhiches out between them. "Me or the coffee? I can leave you two alone." Tim stared blankly. "Come on. Tell me about it."

Tim huffed and sipped his drink. "Well first it was the coffee machine. Then I've had nothing but paperwork and 'get well soons' it's driving me nuts. Then I had Linda hanging off of me while I showed them around."

"She likes you Tim. She's intelligent, good looking. Why don't you marry her and have 20 ducklings?" Damian barely concealed his laugh.

"Jeez. That's something my mom would've said. Why don't you foster an orphan and train them to be a weapon against crime?" Tim poked Damian's knee and nibbled his lunch.

"Jeez that's something my Father would say."

They fell into hysteric laughter.

"Thanks for lunch. I'd kiss you but the sandwich had ham in it." Tim kissed the air in front of his fingers and placed them on the younger man's cheek.

"What are boyfriends for?" Damian asked rhetorically. Although he was sure Tim would come up with a clever answer or several. 

"Spooning. Back massages. Affection. Reaching high shelves. Love... Honestly lunch is pretty far down the list." Tim held up five fingers and wiggled them before his face.

Damian gave him a sideways look. "Tt, don't be a smart ass."

* * *

"So then Jon said-" Tim and Damian's dinner was interrupted by the familiar ping of Oracle's notification:

**'Confirmed Jokerz sighting**

**Following with CCTV and Spoiler'**

Tim swallowed and tried to steady his erratic heart rate. He'd grown to accept that Jason had killed them all, the reality of them still being out there chilled his blood.

"Tim. Calm down for me. You can just go to bed you don't need to get involved." Damian moved his hand across the table and gripped his hand.

"No! I'm not scared." Tim's face was completely void of emotion. "I'm not scared, I'll monitor with Oracle."

"Tim are yo-"

"I'm sure. Let me help." Tim's voice was feeble and lacked conviction. Damian knew it was pointless to argue so they journeyed down into the cave together.

"Oracle." Damian growled in his Robin voice. "Where am I going?" He tied the lace of his boots and strapped Harper's electro sword to his belt.

"I need you to rendezvous with Spoiler first, I'll give you the specific location when you're closer. You need to take a bike to Coventry then park it and swing the rest of the way. We cannot risk spooking him." Oracle boomed through the cave speakers. Tim was already cycling through CCTV feeds to get a position.

"I'm leaving now, patch us into the communal line. I want everyone who is out tonight to keep their eyes open for other Jokerz activity." Damian strode over the cave platforms and kissed Tim. It was a deep meaniful kiss. Damian's way of saying: 'This is for you. I will come home.'

"I love you." Damian whispered

"I love you more." Tim smiled weakly and brushed his thumb over Damian's mask.

Damian mounted Batman's own bike and sped into the night.

* * *

"Robin we're on a private line for the moment. Is Red okay?" Oracle's voice was smooth and caring.

"He's fine. I think he was a little rattled because we had resigned ourselves to thinking they were all dead, but he insisted he was well enough to help out."

Oracle sighed. "You two make a cute couple. I'll put us back on the communal line." the double beep signalled that they were switched back over. "Spoiler what's your position?"

Stephanie grunted, the disconnect of the grapple was followed by a barely audible dismount. "I'm on the roof of St Peter's Church. He took his makeup off earlier down an alley and is now in a night cafe on the opposite street. Get here quick Robin, this place has some good dark corners for an interrogation."

"I'm just at the Schwartz Bypass now. 2 minutes." Damian rode quickly past Arkham and ignored the shiver it sent through him. He stowed his bike away and grappled up onto then nearest block of flats. Spoiler waved him down from blocks away. He grappled over to the familiar streak of eggplant and settled on a gargoyle next the her.

"New costume?" Damian remarked. 

"Yeah. I thought some more black would break up the eggplant." Steph smoothed her hands over the black panels on her abdomen.

"It looks good." Damian held up his binoculars to the street below and scanned the cafe. 

"Fuck me, was that a compliment? Red must really be rubbing off on you. The personality way not the literally rubbing way." Steph folded her mask down so it covered only her nose and mouth. 

"Yes he is." Damian's lips quirked up. "Is the customer by the window our target?" 

"That's the one. Helluva lot less intimidating without the clown smile. Watch his hand when he reaches for his cup." Steph observed with her own binoculars. 

The man reached for his cup, his large hand was smeared and smudged with white makeup. He downed the cup and shouldered his bag to leave. 

"Guys, tail him for a few minutes. I want to know if he's going anywhere or if he could lead us to more." Oracle ordered. 

Spoiler and Robin kept their distance. They observed the man from the opposite rooftops. He walked dandily through Coventry streets, smiling to himself. Robin was at the end of his tether. 

"He just looked up at that window, could this be his home?" Spoiler observed. 

Robin drew his sword and pressed the button on the hilt. The edge glowed a faint green signalling that the shock nano-fillamets were online. "We're taking him now!" Robin shot his grapple and swung down the street below. The man turned his suprise and readied himself for a fight. Robin expertly sliced in key places, the backs of his hands and his knees. The electro shock blade sent a pulse through his nerves and rendered his limbs numb and useless, he crumpled to the floor. 

Robin heaved the man to the wall and growled. "Where are the rest of you hiding?" 

The man squeezed his eyes, tears rolled down his face and dripped off his chin. "P-please I have a family up there." He squealed. 

"I'll go check it out quickly." Spoiler informed him before swinging up the fire escape to the window. 

"You know what your friends did to my colleague. Don't you think Red Robin had a family? What's to stop me beating you and your family to a pulp with a bat?" Robin smiled gruesomely. The man wailed and sobbed. 

"Please don't. I'll hand myself in. I'll confess." 

"CONFESS TO ME!" Robin roared. The man flinched and cowered in fear. 

"I was there. With the o-other one. I ran when the Red Hood arrived. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please-" 

Robin brought his boot down on the man's foot, he felt the crunch on broken bones through the rubber sole. Robin's victim screamed in agony. "Try running now. Where are the rest of you?"

The man laughed bitterly through his tears. "We're everywhere. There are hundreds of us. Just please don't hurt my family."

"I won't. So long as you tell me what you're planning." Robin grew tired of the man's pleas. 

"He doesn't tell us. He just told us to be ready for when the time comes. I swear I don't know." the man squirmed forcing Robin to slam him into the wall again. 

"Who? Who told you to be ready?" Desperation crept into Robin's voice. 

"Him. The Joker. He's been reborn. Please don't hurt them. Please!" Robin slammed the man's head off the wall rendering him unconscious. Spoiler flew from the roof to dismount next to Robin. 

"Get any info?" Spoiler twirled an escrima stick I her hands. 

"Nothing concrete. But more than anything else in the last few weeks. You?" 

Spoiler tutted. "Nothing obvious but his kid was young and I didn't want to scare her, the police will ransack the place anyway." 

"Call it in. I'm going to see the Commissioner." Robin ordered. 

* * *

"You know son. Even your boss didn't summon me this abruptly." Jim hobbled from the roof access door to the wall where Robin was seated. 

"Partner, not boss." Damian corrected. 

"I'm sure you have a reason to be here. Not to make small talk." Jim lit a cigarette and took a long drag. 

"It's the Jokerz, Commissioner." Robin said gravely. 

Jim grunted. "We just pulled one in. He's been muttering nothing but gibberish since he got here. Saying someone is coming for him." 

"He told me that he's back. The Joker." 

Jim laughed and choked on smoke. "He was cremated then we made a point of throwing his ashes down the sewer. He ain't back." 

"I know that Gordon. But what happened to Red Robin is too specific. They were aiming for his spine, like your daughter." Jim's face dropped, his neutral face twisted into disgust. "And the beating with a bat, it was a copy of what happened to the 2nd Robin. There isn't many people who knew about the true events of that incident. They know too much for us to downplay this. The man in your custody told me that all the Jokerz were told to be ready for something. You need to be ready too." Damian urged. 

"What do you suggest. These guys are normal people, but they're ghosts. It's been weeks and this is the first lead we've got." Jim sounded desperate. 

"Be vigilant, Commissioner. Be overly vigilant. Any suspicious activities, investigate. Getting to the root of this takes precedent over everything else. We both know the chaos they could sow of they are given too much room." 

Jim fell deep into thought. Damian could see the wheels turning in his brain. "Where's Batman? I have faith in you all, but no one knows the Joker like he does."

Damian frowned. "Batman is out of the question. I won't ask him for help. We can all handle this." 

* * *

"Hey." Tim croaked. Damian was removing his costume and stowing away his weapons. 

"Good morning." Damian flashed his teeth in a goofy smile. "Sorry I'm late. I went to warn the Commissioner." 

"What is this?" Tim was distracted by Damian's sword, he looked down the edge, seeing the odd pattern sewn throughout. 

"A joint project between me and Harper. Watch." Damian powered up the sword, it glowed acid green. "Harper was working on nano filaments that conduct electricity. I ran hundreds of strands through the blade, after tinting them green of course. When I cut someone, depending on where I cut them, it gives a nasty shock to their nerves and can say, render their knee useless like tonight's prey."

"Harper and her toys..." Tim marvelled at the craftsmanship. 

"Are you okay Timothy?" Damian asked a loaded question. Physically and mentally Tim was fine. But the emotional turmoil of tonight mission could be paralysing. 

"I'm good. I was a little rattled earlier but I'm good." Tim peeled Damian's mask off. 

"I need our bed. I didn't expect to be out so long." Damian sighed relief when he pulled his boot off. 

"You shower. I'll make some tea." Tim tossed Damian's mask into his lap and padded out of the cave. 

* * *

"Thank you." Damian took the steaming mug from Tim's hand. Tim shimmied out of his shirt and bottoms and climbed next to his lover. 

"Do you want to have some fun?" Tim smirked. 

"Not now Tim, it's late and I'm tired." Damian gave Tim a regretful smile. 

"Not that kind of fun." Tim waved Damian's phone. "I was thinking about fucking with all of Gotham." 

"Okay now I'm interested." Damian leaned forward to hear Tim's plan. 

"Only if your comfortable with it. But I was thinking we take a really obscure photo for you Instagram story to get Gotham clamouring for who your latest man is. It was just an idea, I get if you don't wanna do this considering past experiences with press and pictures." Tim scratched at his cup, regretting even broaching the idea.

"I think you're deliciously evil. I love it, this time I have control of the photo. It's a great idea." Damian unlocked his phone. "I think we should lay next to each other on the bed, with only our legs showing. No civillian can identify us by a leg."

Tim shuffled in and crossed his bare legs next to Damian's. Damian propped his knee up, riding the legs of his boxers up a little. The picture was snapped, Tim inspected it, and there was nothing to identify him by, unless someone had committed his toes to memory.

"Are we captioning this?" Damian pursed his lips in thought.

"Well it depends on how much you want to give away." Tim waved his hand in thought. "You could explicitly say boyfriend which would put the heat on us. You'd be stalked for weeks. Or leave it blank and everyone could think this is like a casual thing."

Damian pondered for a minute. "I will leave it blank, only because I want to hear all the theories people come up with."

He hit post. The notifications racked up while they drank their tea. Damian turned off his WiFi for the evening to let Gotham stew.

"I bet you they put Vicki on this. It's not even journalism but Vicki is usually in charge of Wayne stuff." Tim giggled into his cup.

"She will be fuming if they make her write a piece based on pure speculation. It's way below her pay grade. She will hunt me down." Damian popped his cup on the nightstand and shuffled down below the covers. Tim mirrored his action and snuggled into Damian's arms.

"We should fuck with the press more often." Tim whispered. He sctrached his leg up and down Damian's until he heard a soft snore escaping the boy minutes later.

* * *

Damian placed his tablet infront of Tim at the breakfast table. Tim snorted and choked on his mouthful. The web-article before him read:

**New Man For Wayne Heir?**

**Damian Wayne teases new man in a steamy late night snap of him and a mystery man in bed together.**

**By Vicki Vale**

"She's going to kill you." Tim pointed his spoon at Damian's and laughed. 

"Oh I know. This is going to be so fun." Damian bit his lip and gave a thumbs up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little plot and a lot of self indulgence. I could easily leave out Tim and Damian's minor interactions, but I write this for myself and I'm a sucker for them being soft boyfriends.
> 
> Damian having the opportunity to post a photo he has control of is really important. This time he's not being outed, it's him taking control of the information and publishing it by himself.


	31. Return of the Joker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some warnings for you all:
> 
> Some gruesome descriptions of gore
> 
> A mildly sexual encounter near the end that both boys aren't in the right frame of mind for. (very minor)

"Damian. It's not funny." Tim whined.

"But your suit does look like Dr Midnite's. I can't unsee it." Damian snorted and had to set down his Zesti for risk of spilling it.

"You guys wonder why I keep making new costumes. You've seen Dick's first nightwing suit. Go take the piss out of that." Tim jibed.

"I love your suit Tim." He bit back a giggle. "You have a very nice head." Damian leaned over the desk and ruffled through Tim's hair. Tim sighed and let it happen, knowing Damian would chase him otherwise.

Both their phones rang and buzzed in unison. Puzzled at the coincidence Tim answered and put it on speakerphone.

"Tim, Damian with you?" Cass rushed her words.

"Yah. What's up?" Tim shrugged at Damian.

"Turn on Gotham City news. Now! I've got to go but you need to see this." Cassandra urged. 

Tim clicked away at his PC and projected the feed to his wall projector. The newscaster was deathly pale and looked sick to her stomach. 

"For those tuning in to our 4pm broadcast, we received a highly disturbing tape from an imposter believing he is a notorious villain that has long been dead. With permission from the GCPD we are continuing to show this tape in the search for information. Viewer discretion is advised." 

The feed cut from the newscaster to a dark room. Nothing could be discerned from the video, the room was empty and lit by one overhead light. "Is this on? I hope so." A young monotone voice drawled from beyond the screen. 

The body the voice came from waltzed into view. He glided and paraded around the dark room. Flashes of purple and green danced through the dim light. The figure tap danced his way over to a chair and pulled it across the floor to sit in the cameras frame. "Good day." the figures pasty white face contorted into an unsettling smile. A shock of acid green hair was cut into a choppy undercut that sprung in every direction. "Did you all miss me? You're favourite comedian." The man faked shock and confusion. "Comedian? That isn't right. No, you can all call me... Joker." 

Tim and Damian looked at each other, both searching for answers within the other. 

Joker placed his hand on his chest and waved down a fake applause. "How'd ya like my suit? A lovely tailor downtown made it. You should have seen his face. When I stepped out in it his jaw dropped." The Joker held up the head of an elderly gentleman Damian knew well, having tailored many of his old suits. "Literally dropped" The Joker fell into maniacal hysterics. He stuck his fingers into the heads jaw and pulled it down. "How could I ever thank you good tailor?" Joker pressed a sloppy kiss to the dead, black lips of the head. 

Tim heaved into his mouth when the false-Joker slipped his tongue into the head. 

"I'll catch up with you later." He leered, he lopped the head across the room and swiveled back to the camera. The chair screeched forward. The Joker crossed one leg over the other and adopted a serious expression. "I've got plans for Gotham. But before I go any further with them we all have an issue to address." A knife was brought out from his pocket. "Where. Is. The. Bat. Man." Every word was punctuated with a swish of the blade. 

Damian's hand curled round the arm of his seat. 

"Where is he? It's been months Gotham, and my plan won't go ahead without him. Batman has to be here, it's written in the plan. You will come Batman. I know your secret B-B-" he stuttered the letter B. 

Sweat beaded down Damian's brow. He held his breath waiting for his life to come crashing down at the utterance of one word. "B-Batman." The imposter dragged the word. The spite behind it rivalled the real Joker's hatred for Bruce. Damian let out his breath, relieved that their identities were safe for now. 

"I'm going to be so happy to see you Batman. I'll show you just how happy I am." A wide, unhinged smile met the imposter's Hazel eyes. He brandished the blade before his face, the light glinting from it's polished edge. He inserted the blade between his jaw and pulled it towards his ear. Blood dribbled down his chin and smeared the chalky white paint. He repeated the action on the other side, resulting in his mouth becoming 1cm wider on each side. "Happy. Happy. Happy. I'll update you all when the big bad Bat shows himself. Don't take him too long Batman. I'm on a tight schedule." 

Tim shut the feed off and held his face in his hands. "Tim we've got to go." Damian urged him. He rounded the desk and rubbed Tim's shoulders. "Gotham needs us. The clock tower is a block away. We'll go straight there." 

* * *

"Hello Barbara." Damian bent down to hug the redhead. "It's been a while since we were here in person."

Barbara returned the hug and patted his shoulders. "It's been even longer for this one." She wheeled over to Tim and hugged him tight. "You, mister! Have been back for months and have only been here once."

"Are you okay Babs. With all this." Tim and Damian followed Barbara to her computer.

"I dealt with him a long time ago. But my Dad won't stop calling to see if I'm okay. Damian what did you say to him on Monday?" Barbara pulled her glasses down and scowled at the young man.

"Just warned him to be vigilant. They have sensitive information. You should be on watch for an attack."

Barbara hummed and brought up the gruesome video. "Whoever this guy is, he's good. This room has nothing discernable."

"Have you tried isolating the background audio for any clues." Damian suggested.

"Do I look dumb? That's one of the first things I tried." Barbara scolded. Damian shrunk back and opted to keep his opinions to himself.

"I've tried to run this guy through facial recognition, but nothing comes up. He may have had surgery, or could be an off the grid crazy. The drive with the tape on it can't be traced, it was delivered by hand. No fingerprints. No trail. No leads. So what are we gonna do?"

"Do you still have my spare suit here?" Damian asked.

"Might be a little dusty but it's with the rest. Why?"

"We're going to scare them out of hiding. I'm going back to the cave to get some hologram projectors. Barbara, I need you to get onto the GCPD network and get the details of the package the tape arrived in. Is it okay if Tim stays here with you?"

"Yep, the computer is big enough for two." Barbara nudged Tim and smirked.

Damian left and returned minutes later suited up in a fresh suit. "Contact the Commissioner and tell him to turn on the signal at nightfall. Get everyone you can and tell them to meet me on the GCPD building as soon as that signal hits the sky."

He popped his domino onto his eyes and pressed a kiss to Tim's cheek. "Have fun." He said.

"Be safe." Tim called after him. Damian dived from the window.

* * *

The vigilantes of Gotham gathered together infront of Damian. Red Hood, The Question, Spoiler, Batwoman and Batgirl. The commissioner watched the brief from afar.

"Everyone takes one of these projectors. It'll display a hologram of Batman. Be sure not to let anything obstruct the image or it will disrupt."

Robin handed the small devices to the group. "Red Robin and Oracle are monitoring the entire city. Maybe we can put enough fear in them, that they slip up and run. Do not engage any of the Jokerz. Follow and report. We're looking for patterns, hideouts, clues anything that leads us to the fake."

"Gotta admit. Your pep talks are better than big man's." Kate remarked.

"They're both up themselves." Red hood added. "Hey Commissioner, you got a light?" Jim tossed Jason a lighter, he promptly lit his cigarette and threw the lighter back at Jim.

"We're ready Gordon." Damian gave him a thumbs up to Jim, who slammed down the lever of the signal. The bat spread its wings in the sky. 

* * *

"Turn it off Gordon. We're all done for the night. Thank you." Damian sighed. The commissioner shut if the signal, it was barely visible at this time anyway the sun poked it's way over the horizon. 

"Can you believe none of them showed? There wasn't even a whisper." Red Hood grunted. He lit a cigarette with his new stolen lighter and offered one to Jim.

"I'm clocking off for the night. Me and Harv questioned the one we got in custody for hours. It's useless. He just laughed and kept saying: he's back." Jim sighed defeatedly. 

"We'll go again tonight. Something will come up. Someone will slip up. They have to." Damian couldn't even convince himself. They had spent 10 hours scouring the entire city but not one ounce of evidence could be found. Spoiler was running on empty and couldn't sleep before her shift at the hospital. Batwoman and Renee cancelled their date so they could both come and help. Barbara had to be at work in less than 3 hours time. All for nothing. 

"Son, I think you need to face facts here. We need Batman here. This Joker ain't gonna let us have anything. We need to play his game until we get an opening." Jim rubbed his eyes while he spoke. 

Damian fell against the roof railing.

 _Gordon's right. After all I've done Gotham still needs Batman. That's not me, it's Father._ Damian's thoughts buried him. He had no other option than to call Bruce. _Father would fight the Joker every other weekend and I can't handle a cheap wannabe._

Robin didn't even answer Jim. He dived from the roof and grappled away, ignoring Jason's pleas for him to talk. 

* * *

"Damian? I did text you that I got a ride from Cassie back here." Tim rushed over to Robin. 

Damian trudged up to the Batcomputer. He hung his head in shame. "I got it. Just needed time to think." he lifted his head to give Tim a forced smile. Tim wasn't fooled. He brought the younger man down onto his shoulder and traced his fingers through Damian's raven hair. 

"Come on what's up?" Tim took his hand and led him to the desk. 

"I don't want to talk about it. I want to forget tonight happened." Damian closed his eyes and leaned into the hand Tim rested on his cheek. "Help me forget?" He kissed Tim's palm softly. He leered with his eyes and smoothed his hand over Tim's lower back. 

Tim knew better. He knew Damian was tired and needed sleep, but his begging expression pierced though Tim's common sense. The man's glassy eyes and thick, long eyelashes begged Tim for love. "Y-Yeah. Yeah I'll help you forget tonight. It's just me and you." 

Tim allowed himself to be lifted by Damian's strong arms. He was hoisted onto the desk, where he parted his legs and allowed Damian to nestle between them. "It's just me and you, baby." Tim whispered into Damian's ear. He trailed kissed down Damian's neck and pulled the boys hair gently. Damian fiddled with Tim's shirt, his fatigue sat heavy so he ripped the shirt apart and roamed hands over Tim's small frame. Damian thrust forward, rubbing their hips together. 

Tim could feel Damian's gloved fingers everywhere, every bit of skin Robin felt tingled and buzzed under his touch. Tim pushed his fingers below Damian's waistband and squeezed his rear. Damian whimpered like a wounded animal and thrust his tongue into Tim's mouth. Tim had no choice but to bend to Damian's whim. He had full control of the kiss, his slick tongue exploring every inch of Tim's mouth.

"You're so good to me, I don't deserve you." Damian said breathlessly. He bit down hard on Tim's neck. His teeth sank into Tim's flesh, he sucked and bit like a vampire. Tim submitted to Damian, letting him take what he needed tonight. All he could do was moan and let pleasure wash over him. 

"Fuck Dami!" Tim close his eyes and yielded to the familiar euphoria Damian always knew how to plunge him into. 

"What the hell is going on here!" 

Damian froze and stilled his eager hands. Tim could feel the heat drain from the body pressed into him. 

Bruce gawped at the scene and flapped his mouth for something to say. For the first time in his life, Tim saw Batman lost for words. He stormed back up the steps he'd came from, leaving Selena to clear up the mess. 

"Bruce." Tim called after him feebly.

"Let me handle him." Selena smiled warmly. "Go to bed, it's really early. I promise I'll handle him." She ran up the steps after her husband. 

"We need to be more careful. We keep getting caught in these situations." Tim tried a joke but Damian stared blankly down between them. "C'mon let's go to bed."

* * *

Bruce threw his duffel bag down onto the bed and grunted. Selena stood in the doorway and crossed her arms in shame, she scowled at her husband.

"They're my boys. They can't be together." Bruce rested his head in his hands and groaned. Selena and him had flown halfway across the world after seeing the imposter's broadcast.

"Don't you dare." Selena snarled at him. "Don't you dare stand in the way of their happiness."

Bruce stood and growled at her. "So what. I just accept this? This feels wrong."

"Yes you do. Don't pull the brothers card because they're not. You only had guardianship of Tim and he nearly wiped himself from official existence at 15 when you were dead and he became Red Robin. Those two aren't brothers and I doubt they thought of themselves that way if they're together." Selena pointed as she spoke. Her anger rising and bubbling in her stomach. Bruce could try and stand in their way, but she would stand with the boys.

She knew what Bruce was planning just from his expression. He would put an end to it, stripping both boys of their happiness. Tim would most likely become depressed again and run away. Damaim would throw himself into work and wear himself down to nothing. She knew what would happen. She knew Bruce would be a hypocritical about it, despite him running off with a work class criminal. She knew, but she she expected him to at least hear the boys out. 

"I dont know if I can. I'm a father to both of them." Bruce muttered.

"A father would accept them both and let them decide for themselves if this is right." Selena grabbed a pillow from the bed. "You sleep on it Batman. I'll be on the couch." She stopped in the doorway and looked ahead into the hall. "I love you Bruce but I won't let you hurt them boys. They've been through too much and there's too much going on in Gotham right now. I love them like they're my own, which means if I have to stand with them while you get your shit together then so be it. Sort this case out, then sort yourself out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Selena is a good mum and I stand by that. What's going to happen next?....
> 
> I know it seems that I skipped past a lot of their nightly vigilantism but there wouldn't have been much to tell.


	32. Pride

Tim bounced down the stairs. Damian trudged behind him, reluctant to face his Father after last night. To his relief Bruce didn't look to be awake yet, only Selena pottered around the kitchen.

This isn't how he wanted it to come out. He wanted to craft an argument that fully explained his feelings in a way Bruce could understand. 

"You boys like pancakes?" She hugged them both to her chest, making them feel like children again.

They nodded and she poked Damian's cheek which he promptly swatted away and scowled. "Take a seat in the dining room. I'll make 'em."

They walked out the room, hand in hand. Selena rummaged through the cupboards until she found a tray of vials stashed at the back: Food colouring.

* * *

"Your saw how he looked at us. It was pure disappointment. No one but Talia and Ra's have looked at me in that way." Damian plopped down into the seat and fiddled with a coaster. 

"I don't care what Bruce thinks. We're happy. You're his son, he'll come around." Tim shuffled his chair over and rested his head on Damian's shoulder. "I said we'll be working from home today so that's one less thing to worry about. Don't worry, we'll figure this out." 

Selena paraded two plates infront her, a proud grin spread over her face. "I thought you were more doom n' gloom and Dick was the paragon of optimism." She set the plates down infront of each boy. Six mini pancakes per plate, each a different colour of the pride flag. 

Tears pricked in Tim's eyes. He mouthed a thank you to Selena who hugged him tight against her bozom. "I love both of you like you're my own. I'm proud of you both. Bruce is too but he's being a dick right now. It's just shock." She noticed Tim's tears a wiped them with her sleeve. "Don't cry it's just gay pancakes." 

"Sorry." Tim giggled and rubbed his face. "Just no one's been this literal about accepting it before." 

"Queer solidarity." Selena beamed and left the boys alone with their very gay food. 

* * *

"Is there no way you can get into the tailors for evidence?" Tim sat in the cave computer chair and cycled over images of the imposters suit.

"Not until tonight. We'd have to ask Gordon nicely." Damian frowned. This Joker's plan was meticulously thought out, as if it was designed to give the bats a runaround.

"I'll ask." Bruce boomed from behind them. He forced a plastic smile and leaned against the desk next to them. "How are you feeling Tim?"

Tim was shocked that Bruce wasn't getting straight to the point. On most occasions he'd jump right into addressing the elephant in the room without small talk.

 _Selena must've had a hand in this._ Tim deduced.

"I'm great. I'm healing fine, the physio on my hand is working and I'm getting closer to a loose fist." He gave a demonstration of his hand, squeezing hard to curl his fingers. 

"Hm. That's good. You're still benched but that's good. Damian, I trust you made the proper precautions before bringing that dentist here?" Bruce held a hard look on his face.

"Yes Father." Damian muttered.

"Hm." Bruce grunted. "We should talk about this." He looked uncomfortable, his eyes darted back to the cave stairs as though he was mapping a quick escape route.

 _Batman is nervous._ Tim chuckled internally. 

"You're disappointed." Damian stated.

Bruce had to think about his answer, he pressed his lips together and stared at the couple. "No. But I want you to see this from my perspective. You two aren't brothers. But I am a father to both of you, it's something I didn't prepare myself for because I didn't think it would happen."

"We're in love Bruce." Tim smiled.

"Since when? Were you two together before you moved to San Francisco?"

"No! This isn't some nefarious secret relationship that started years ago. I moved back, and we sort of came together." Tim flushed red.

_How could Bruce think that?_

"You hopped into bed before even unpacking?" Bruce gave no clue to his feelings. His voice was level and didn't accuse.

"No Father. It's not just sex. We went on dates, dealt with our past issues, and grew to love each other." Damian said defiantly.

"But there is sex?" Bruce pressed.

"I'm not talking about this Father." Damian warned.

"I need to know you two are being safe." Tim's face was burning as Bruce spoke. "I know what really happened with your first boyfriend. I just don't want either of you to be hurt."

Damian's blood ran cold. "How do you know?" he froze dead still.

"I hacked Cassandra's comlink that night. She didn't know so don't attack her. I heard you wanted to keep this a secret and I respected that, one secret had already been taken from you that day. I paid that boy off and made him sign NDA's barring him from speaking further on your relationship." Bruce's face faltered for one moment. Just enough for Tim to glance the man underneath. He looked wounded, hurt and in pain.

"Thank you Father. Me and Tim cannot be compared to Alex. We are safe-" Damian swallowed uncomfortably. "Sexually active and we love each other. You don't need to get involved."

"I will get involved if this affects you both in the field. Will it stay professional?"

Tim's mind flashed back to the time Red Robin and Robin had decided that a random rooftop was a good place to jerk each other off mid patrol.

"Strictly professional." Tim lied.

"Who knows?" Bruce asked. He relaxed somewhat but retained his intimidating posture.

"Basically every hero. You're the last know Father."

"That hurts." Bruce stated. "I think I've said my piece. I'll stay out of this and keep my opinions to myself. It would be hypocritical of me to deny you both happiness after I settled down with Selena. She made a point of examining that to me, amongst other things. We're lucky to have her. I'm, umm, sorry for how I acted yesterday."

"Group hug?" Tim joked. 

"No" Father and son barked in unison.

* * *

Jason zoomed into the cave on his bike. He fought against his nerves to check on Damian. He shouldn't have cared, but his consciousness nagged at him. Damian looked lost when he grappled away and the reluctant brother in Jason forced him to care.

He stripped off his mask and wondered up the steps. "Somethings wrong..." he muttered to himself. He poked his head into the computer area, he immediately regretted it.

"Jason?" Bruce swiveled in the chair and pulled his cowl back.

Jason gripped the railing to steady himself. He closed his eyes and focused on steadying his erratic breathing. His throat was tight and his mouth was dry. The floor vibrated with Bruce's footsteps. Jason tried to steady his feet but his knees had turned to jelly. Logic was out of the question. Instinct ruled his body, instinct told him to run!

 _He's gonna make me go. I don't want to leave!_ Jason's mind screamed. 

He raced towards his bike. His thighs burned with lactic acid but he fought against them. Jason was mere inches from his bike when a grapple wrapped around his waist and pulled him back to the floor.

"Let me go. Just let me go!" he thrashed around, the cable tightened. He retrieved his knife and sawed at the cable. Desperate to escape before Batman took him away.

"Jason. Stop!" Bruce barked with Batman growl.

"Let. Me. Go!" the cable snapped under the knife, Jason quickly returned to his feet and readied himself for the inevitable brawl. "You're not taking my life from me again. I won't come back here, just let me go home." He lunged at Bruce with the knife, catching his cheek. Red sheeted down Batman's face.

"Stop this. I just want to talk." Bruce urged.

"I've heard that before. This is my city Bruce, your not kicking me out again."

Jason threw himself forward. His fist was caught by Batman who threw him to the floor. Jason arced his leg up and booted Bruce in the mouth.

"Jason please." Bruce stumbled back, his vision blurred.

Red Hood wasted no time. He butterfly kicked Bruce into the floor, and stood over his groaning father. He pressed his boot into Batman's back. "I still have enough respect for this place to not make a sincere argument in here about killing those who deserve it." He fisted his hand in Bruce's silver hair and pulled his head up. "I still respect you. That's why I stopped killing. Being one of you is important to me. I've lost too many people to lose Tim, Damian, Cass, all of them."

"Son-" Bruce croaked.

"I won't let you exile me again. Family is family and I'm not about to let you take my life away because I bruised your ego and broke your rules. I broke them once. I'll stay away but I won't leave Gotham." Jason let go of his hair and walked to his bike.

"Jason Peter Todd will you stop and listen to me!" Bruce thundered. Suddenly Jason was a scared 15 year old kid who'd beat too hard on a criminal and was being scolded for it. "I don't want to exile you. I'm not taking your family from you. I want to say I'm sorry."

Jason fiddled with his belt. Unable to look at Bruce. Everything told him to leave. But he couldn't move. The Robin in him knew better than to run off when Bruce was talking to him like this. 

"I'm sorry you had to relive that day again. I'm sorry you had to be the one to save Tim. I don't agree with what you did, but I accept it because it saved his life. What's done is done." Bruce stepped tentatively closer, he treated Jason like a scared dear. He held Jason's shoulder. "Come here son." he turned Jason around and pulled him into an embrace.

Jason stiffened up and didn't know what to do. His arms dangled uselessly by his side. But Bruce wasn't letting up. 

Jason reached up slowly and wrapped his arms around Bruce's back.


	33. City of Clowns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a mega chapter for you. This is a pivotal moment for the story.
> 
> Warning:  
> Violence. Panic attacks/flashbacks. One line of racism aimed at Asian people. (This comes from the villain)

"It's not the night Jim." Batman growled.

Jim shut off the signal for the second night in a row after a fruitless search. He scratched his moustache and sighed "maybe he's feeling you out. Making sure you're not an imposter." Jim chuckled. "That'd be rich coming from an imposter himself."

"It's good to see you Jim." Batman held out his hand. Jim shook it with vigor.

"I expected you and your boy to disappear ages ago." Jim beamed at his old friend despite the disappointing night.

Batman pointed at the roof-access door. Jim looked round and whipped his head back when nothing was there. Batman had disappeared with Robin. "That's a cheap joke Batman!" Jim shouted over the railing. He sneered over the roof and hobbled away. 

"We can try again tomorrow Father. Everyone is running on fumes though. We can't keep this manhunt up." Damian pleaded.

Bruce furrowed his brow and scowled at the dashboard. He'd had a wicked idea all night. One that could be instrumental to solving this problem quickly. He needed someone that could think like the Joker, someone who could get into his head. Someone who'd provoke the imposter. Tommorow a call had to be made. 

* * *

"Waller." Bruce stared blankly at the camera.

"Bruce." She stared back. Age had made Amanda Waller's face harder. Crows feet and frown lines laced across her face. Her was hair greying at the roots. Her eyes however, were unchanging with time, they still searched into your soul for secrets she could manipulate. Thick lips turned down into an unpleasant expression. 

"You're aware of what's happening in Gotham?"

Amanda pursed her lips. "You can't have her Batman." her cold stare penetrated through the camera lens. "She may be older but she's still a loose cannon."

"I need her for this. She handed herself in willingly before, she'll do it again." Bruce peppered in some businessman charm. He knew it was foolish to try with Waller, but Batman was desperate. "I'll pick her up. I'll keep her in check and I'll take her back when this is done."

Amanda did not give a response, she bore into the screen and waited for Bruce to crack. His lips quirked when Waller's scowl faltered.

"You have three days Batman. Her tag stays on and she's stays non lethal. Otherwise I will have the full force of ARGUS shut down 'Batman' in hours." Amanda shut off the feed before she could be further embarrassed.

Bruce smiled to himself knowing he'd just bent the most dangerous woman on the plant to his whim.

* * *

The Batmobile whirred and weaved through the midday traffic. Damian sat cross armed in the passenger seat. Looking absentmindedly out the window. Kane County slipped by their view in a blur of green.

"I don't see why we need her." Damian pouted. He fiddled with his utility belt, clicking and unclicking the pockets.

"She knows the Joker better than anyone, if anyone can help figure out his intentions it's her. I'd rather her not be back in Gotham but desperate times Damian. Remember we use criminals for the case then bring them to justice. We have three days to sort this." Bruce gave the most reassuring smile he could manage.

They pulled up to the secure fence where they were given access right away by ARGUS guards. The long winding road they drove down was lined by tall willow trees, they were healthy and lush despite the bitter winter that had set in. The ARGUS home was set in the middle of the fenced off area. It was a modest house, the white painted wood panels and grey roof slats made this place seem like a normal home to a civillian. Civillians however would not know that this home could survive multiple bombing and attacks. The dull frosty ground was contrasted by colourful wild flowers and roses. The chimney billowed grey smoke that blended into the somehow greyer skies. Batman parked the Batmobile by the porch and let himself in, Robin in tow.

The house opened right up into a living space. The fireplace was ablaze and warmed the room invitingly. A petit blonde haired woman was curled up under a knitted blanket by the fire, a set of small round glasses perched on her nose as she browsed her tablet. Her pale aqua eyes were unblinking, lines of text flickered over the glass lenses. She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't register two extra presences in the room.

Robin cleared his throat.

She whipped her head up, the glasses fell awkwardly onto her mouth. "Brucie!" she squealed. She tossed the tablet and tackled Batman into a hug. She kissed his cheek and pulled the cowl down.

"Harley. Stop." Bruce carefully removed her arms from around him and pushed her to an arms distance.

"Give ova. Kitty cat knows we're old friends. Look at this one!" He rubbed over Damian's shoulders and booped his nose. Damian swiped her hand away and gritted his teeth. "He ain't no boy wondah anymore. I only saw him 2 years ago and he's was this high." she waved her hand around Damian's chest. "Those magazines don't really show height."

Damian flushed red and avoided Bruce's scowl. He never agreed with Damian's vain pursuit of fame. Alfred had forced Bruce to keep his opinions shuttered.

"Mandy told me you were comin'. But I got sidetracked by this article. It's called Trainee wellness: self-perfectionism, self-compassion, depression and burnout among doctoral trainees in psychology. Couldn't be me." she chirped.

"Tt. Yes because you were neither perfect nor depressed. Instead of being self critical you helped a madman escape and aided him in terrorising my city." Damian quipped.

Harley giggled and stomped her feet with laughter. "Your city? Big talk from the boy in tights. You ain't graduated to black yet."

Bruce stepped between the two before Damian could make any rash decisions. "You know why we're here. We need to get going." Bruce commanded in his Batman growl.

"M'kay. I need to say bye to Pam first. Worst comes ta worst I'll be dead. Ya not exactly the paragon of safety Brucie." Harley bounced through the house and out the back door. She skipped all the way to the ends of the grounds to a glass building as large as the other house. Batman and Robin were sweating immediately, the air was warm, thick and heavy with pollen. Harley was seemingly unaffected. "Pammy! Pammy we got guests."

They rounded a corner and stepped into a paradise. A large tree was at the center of the building. Hundreds of different flowers were planted into the soil beds. Pamela was hunched over the flower bed, one flower had broken it's stem. She pressed her finger onto the break and mended it her powers. She smelled the small amount of liquid the plant had seeped onto her finger and smiled. To her it was the sweetest fragrance. Poison Ivy dipped her hand into the soil and before their eyes, copies of the flower spouted and grew in mere seconds. 

Pamela looked up and pressed her lips together in a line. Unlike Harley, Poison Ivy had retained her youth and looked young as ever. She wasn't dressed in skimpy leaves and vines like Robin expected, instead she wore simple jeans and a checked shirt tied under her bust. Her orange hair was put messily into a ponytail. "Batman. You're earlier than I thought you'd be. You are a creature of the night, are you not?" 

"You look well Dr Isley." Batman complimented. Pamela didn't ease her hard face.

"It's time Pam. It's part of my penance. A problem to do with Mista J is a problem to do with me. I kinda do owe him anyway, he got us this deal." Harley held her lover's hands.

"Come home to me. Please come home." Pamela leaned her head against Harley's. Damian suppressed a smile at their affection. "Don't put yourself in harm's way Harleen. I love you."

"Love ya too Pammy. I'll be fine." Harley pecked Pamela's lips and squeezed her hands.

Pamela stepped too close to Batman, hovering her face close to Bruce's. "You bring her back to me Bruce. I'm here willingly but if she dies I will escape and rain hell on your city. I promise you that." she whispered.

The three turned to leave Pamela in her paradise. "You" she called out. Damian turned to see Poison Ivy pointing at him. "This one is in love, he's smitten." She sniffed the air and dug her hand yet again into the soil. A dozen blood red roses creeped from the ground and blossomed. She scooped them from the ground and wrapped the roots in a some burlap. "Give those to him." For the first time she smiled. "I have no quarrel with you, only your ignorant asshole dad." she handed him the bunch. Damian managed a small smile of gratitude.

"We have something for you Harley." Batman said at the car. He opened the boot and lifted a duffle bag out for her. She held up a black and red body suit. A gleeful smile spread across her features. "Aww Bats. You remembered my size!" she picked up her trusty baseball bat and swung it a few times. "Did ya really keep this thing in that cave of yours? Anyway shotgun!" Harley sprinted to the passenger seat and buckled herself in. Damian opened his mouth to object but Bruce waved him off.

"How about some music?" Harley reached for the radio, Batman slapped her hand away.

"How did Ivy know?" Damian pressed. He was dumbfounded at how Poison Ivy could tell he was in love.

"Well ya know she can kiss people and make them fall in love with her pheromones? Yeah well she's grown. Her connection with nature is deeper. She smells things like pheromones, hormones, pollens all of that. Plus side is she can tell when I'm due on my ladies before I do. Fuck knows how it's all got anythin' to do with plants but I dig it." Harley shined her bat with her sleeve.

"She's evolving. She growing and adapting. That's dangerous." Batman growled.

* * *

They barreled into the cave late afternoon, Red Hood shrunk away to the training rooms but Tim and Cassandra stood to greet them. Damian handed Tim the flowers. "They're a gift from Poison Ivy. I wouldn't smell them for safety's sake. She told me to give them to you."

"What were you guys talking about?" Tim carefully sniffed the flowers and smiled. "All clear. I'll pop them in a plant pot just to be safe. She'd feel it if I cut the roots and put them in a vase."

Harley was squealing behind them and running around the trophies area and marvelling at the mementos. "How'd ya get Eddie's cane? I swear he wore this thing like a buttplug."

"Harley don't touch anything." Bruce scolded her like a child.

"Fine. My help ain't free ya know? A couple of days out isn't payment either even though I owe ya for making that deal with Mandy. I want a Ferrari. A new hammer for the mantle. Ooo and I want a subscription to the Daily Planet, Mandy won't pay $7.99 a month for me." Harley battered her eyelids and swirled her bat on the floor, her fingers slipped and the bat crashed down onto the metal floor. It's rattled and echoed through the cave.

Tim's chest tightened, his vision blacked and suddenly he was back in the loading bay. His hand burned like he'd been stabbed all over again. Tim fell to the floor and curled up in a ball. A bitter iron taste laced his mouth, he couldn't breathe, his lungs were filling with blood. The ghost of that monster's hand caressed his face. 'Have you had enough?' the phantom voice echoed in his ear.

"Please stop." Tim whimpered. He could feel his face streaking with hot tears.

'No? We can carry on.' the voice spat in his ear. Tim covered his face waiting for the pain to come again.

"Please stop!"

* * *

Damian flinched at the clang of the bat hitting the ground. A thud next to him sent him into panic. Tim was balled up of the floor. His breath rattled and his eyes were squeezed shut with fear. "Tim!" Damian shook Tim shoulder. 

He cowered away and whimpered: "Please stop."

"Tim come on. It's just me." Damian hugged him close. Tim curled into his chest and sobbed. "Someone get me a sedative. NOW!" Damian barked to the room. Jason ran from the medic area with a syringe and tapped it three times. Damian plunged it into Tim's neck.

"Please stop." Tim sighed. The medication was taking effect, he covered his face feebly. His muscles were loosing tension. "Please." Tim went limp in his lover's arms. 

Jason bent to their level and hugged Damian's head into his arm. "I got him. I'll take him to your room, you give yourself a minute." Jason lifted Tim bridal style and carried him out the cave. Damian slumped on the floor until a hand rested on his shoulder. 

"Brucie just filled me in. I'm sorry, if I'd have known." Harley said in a serious tone. 

"Not your fault. You didn't know, I didn't even know the scars ran this deep." Damian shrugged off her shoulder and stood again. 

"Well I've ditched the bat completely and stole this old thing from the display case." Harley twirled her comically large hammer and swung it over her shoulder. "So it that your boyfriend? Ain't he that Red Robin fella? He's my favourite Robin personally, takes guts to name yourself after a fast food chain." 

Damian couldn't help but smile. 

* * *

"Okay so Mista J always said that he had to stay on his toes to keep you on yours. If this weirdo is anything like the real thing, then he'll want your attention elsewhere. That's why he kept quiet last night. Classic J." Harley giggled. 

"Your point is?" Batman questioned. 

"Your attention is elsewhere. His plan is comin' together. You could never get to the Joker until he made a mistake or let you find him. This guy ain't made no mistakes so you've gotta wait it out until he shows his hand. Let him know your here, then I can help ya decipher the next clue. Or y'know walk around Gotham chattin' shit about him. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's piss people off." Harley twirled around the rooftop childishly. 

It was exactly an hour of Batman and Co beating down regular criminals before the explosions went off. Eight different locations were obliterated simultaneously, framing Gotham with burning inferno towers. "Oh Batmaaaan" a cruel monotone voice drawled through his commlink. "Guess who I've got." the fake Joker laughed. 

"Batman I'm tracing his location now. Keep him talking." Oracle said. 

"Batman I've got the itty bitty Batgirl and the Robin you didn't love. There's a crowbar somewhere round here with his name on it." The voice attacked Bruce's spine like nails to a chalkboard. "I'll tell you where I am, but can you get here in time? I'm at Crime Alley. At the old drug deal spot, you know the one: dealers den. Come quick Batman, I've waited so long to meet you." 

The comms disconnected. "Oracle did you get that?" the line was silent. "Oracle! Damn it!" Bruce roared. He grappled away over the Bowery to crime alley. 

* * *

"Batman! Can you hear me?" Oracle pleaded. "Everyone come in Batman has gone dark I can reach him." 

"What happened?" Robin demanded. 

"This Joker. He stole Red Hood's commlink. He's got him and Batgirl. We were keeping him talking so we could trace the signal but the fake must've hijacked Batman's communications after he told him where he was." Oracle clicked away on her computer, trying to regain signal for the trace. 

"Where did he say he was?" Spoiler asked. 

"The dealer's den above Crime Alley. But when I ran a trace the location went crazy. Bouncing the location around the city. I'm blind guys. I'm trying but this isn't regular stuff, it's professional." Oracle slammed her hand down on the desk. 

"It's a trap. I'm going to intercept him. Everyone stay on those explosions we need to secure each site if we can." Robin commanded. 

* * *

"Red Hood! Batgirl!" Bruce called. He dropped down into a hole in the roof of Dealer's Den. It was too dark to see anything, but maniacal laughter cut through the darkness. Bruce flicked on his torch and burst through the door that hung loose on one hinge.

"Batman. I'm so glad you could make it. The plan has worked perfectly. What plan? I hear you ask, its his plan, his final plan for Gotham." The voice came from every direction, speakers were dotted all round the corridors. Bruce stepped carefully down the hallway, he looked in every door.

"It's written here that the Joker, the last Joker, said there couldn't be the Joker without Batman and there couldn't be a Batman without the Joker. It's a modern love story." The Joker fell off into fits of giggles.

"He really did love you Batman. But you can't exist without him. You were his." the Joker feigned concern.

"So what? You're going to replace him?" Batman could hear something indistinct behind the last door.

"No. I was chosen as a successor. He gave me everything I needed to carry out his final wish. There can't be a Batman without the Joker and that includes your buddies. Nightwing. Red hood. Batgirl. All of them. It will all come crashing down." Batman booted in the door and rushed to the two chairs in the middle of the room. He didn't think, he didn't check for traps or anyone standing in the room. The only thing on Bruce's mind was his children. He removed the hoods covering their heads revealing mannequins.

He was deafened and blinded by light, then everything faded to black.

* * *

The blast took Damian by such surprise he fell off his bike and crashed through a boutique window. "Oracle. Aghhh." Robin pulled a shard of glass from his arm. "O, what was that?"

"Damian." Oracle dropped their code names. "I'm so sorry. Dealers Den and half of Crime alley just got bombed. I don't know whether your Dad was there or not." Oracle sniffed. "I'm trying to get up a feed but there's no electricity in that part of the city anyway."

"No." Damian choked. "No. I'm on my way there now. I'm nearly at the bridge."

"Hey Boy Wonder. I'm at the Batmobile gimme access." Harley demanded over the line.

"No, I'm not letting you run." Damian groaned as he stood up. He pulled more shards of glass from his legs.

"I'm going to find ya Dad. I promise you, I owe him."

Reluctantly he clicked a button on his belt and remotely unlocked the car. He heard the whir of the Batmobile over the line and heaved himself back onto his bike. He took off in the direction of the screams and orange glow.

* * *

"C'mon." Harley screamed she blasted the horn, scaring three other drivers onto the pavement. She had to ditch her new ride because the way to Crime Alley was blocked off by debris. "Batman!" she called out into the blaze. "Batman!" she pushed some victims of the blast aside and walked into the panic. The building had exploded violently, peppering the surrounding structures with brick and other debris. Harley pushed bricks aside until a tell-tale purple lined cape poked from the ashes. She cleared away the rubble and yanked Bruce from the pile. She dragged him over to flat ground and laid him down.

"Jesus Batman you're old now, why'd ya have so much muscle." she poked Batman's chest expecting him to move. "C'mon Batman quit playin' with me." 

She shook the lifeless body over and over. "No Batman come back for fuck sake." she grabbed a Batarang from his belt and cut down the front of the charred suit. She removed the armoured breastplate and began to pump his heart. "Come on Batman." she pinched his nose and breathed into his lungs. "Come on Brucie." she pumped her hands onto his chest again and again until the sound of a motorbike cut through the screams. 

"Harley!" Damian called out. He ran to her side and took over the CPR. 

"He weren't breathin', I've been tryin' for ages." Harley said hopelessly.

"No Father. This isn't happening." Damian unsheathed his sword and powered it up until it was pulsing green. "Hold him down and make sure he can't jerk up." Harley put her weight down on Bruce's arms and abdomen. Damian pressed his sword above his father's heart and activated an electro-batarang against it. Electricity cracked and sparked from the tangled blades. Bruce jerked but remained still. Damian ramped up the voltage on his sword past a safe limit to lethal. Lethal enough to kill him and Harley too if this went wrong. He pressed the two blades together one more on his father's chest. Bruce's body jolted under his and he gasped back to life. Robin leaned down and listened to Batman's rasping breaths. "H-He's alive." Damian choked he tapped his earpiece. "Robin to team he's alive. Spoiler get back to the cave he needs specialist medical attention."

Harley helped to heave Batman into the passenger seat of the Batmobile. She followed Damian back to the cave on his bike. They stretchered Batman to the medbay and started to power up the machinery when Spoiler charged up the steps and ushered them away. "Go upstairs and let me work." she looked directly at Damian with wet eyes. "Please just let me handle this." 

* * *

Damian poured a coffee for Harley and an extra large cup for himself. They sat at the kitchen breakfast bar in silence. Damian wanted to kick Harley out despite her saving his Father. But he was glad to have some company and if he was honest with himself, he had warmed to her slightly. Slightly. 

"Harley. Fucking. Quinn. I'd recognise those awesome buns anywhere." Selena ran to Harley and hugged her from behind. "What no joke about the hair or the ass? What're you doing here?" Harley stood up and hugged her properly, squeezing Selena and running her hand through her short black hair. "Okay who died? I've only been out of town for a day."

"Selena." Damian looked at her with glassy eyes. His voice was hoarse and weak. 

She fell against the counter and gasped for air. "Don't you tell me he's dead." 

"He's not dead. But Steph is treating him in the cave. We had to resuscitate him." Damian stood and let her fall into him. Damian had not allowed himself to cry yet but Selena's raw emotion was pushing him to the brink.

Harley left the two alone while Damian caught her up on the nights events, Selena clutched at Damian's cape and wailed. "I told him he couldn't keep going out there. Why won't he stop?" He held her for what could have been an hour until she was cried out. "Fuck his rules. I'll go and kill that son of a bitch myself. Jason and Cass are my kids too, how dare he?"

"I'm going to fix this Mother. I will burn this city to the ground if I must. I will fix this or die trying." Damian squeezed Selena's shoulders. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you if there's news."

* * *

"Guhhh." Tim moaned. "What happened?" he looked around and couldn't figure out how he got to his bedroom.

 _Why is it morning? Why is Damian passed out in his uniform? That sword could've stabbed me in my sleep._ Tim thought.

His movements felt sluggish and weak. It was like he'd come out of an operation. The memories flooded in. The bat falling over, then all the memories of his accident replaying. He deduced that they must've drugged him to snap him out of his flashback. "Ahhhh." He groaned aloud. He pressed his palms into his eyes and rocked.

As gently as he could, he unclipped Damian's utility belt and slid it away. He unlaced his boots and wiggled them off carefully. Once his boyfriend was tucked up asleep he creeped downstairs. 

The house was deathly silent. Tim stumbled into the living room. Harley's hammer took up the entire coffee table but there was no sign of the owner. "The fuck?" Tim mumbled.

The coffee machine was hot. _This couldn't have been made more than 10 minutes ago. Where's Harley?_ Tim mused.

He poured himself a cup and entered the cave. "Harley? Cass?" he rounded the corner to the computer and saw Steph passed out. "What happened?" he said to himself.

"Heya." A particularly annoying voice whispered behind him. "Come ova here I'll fill ya in." He followed Harley down to the cars where he sat down next to her in the middle of the platform. The situation was awkward to say the least. The last time Tim saw Harley was years ago and he remembered roundhouse kicking her off a building and leaving her dangling there for the GCPD. "Right now don't freak out on me. But the big Robin and the quiet girl are missing. This fakeout Mista J gottem."

Tim breathed and tried to rationalise the situation in his head. _Cass and Jason can handle themselves. They've been in tougher spots._

"That's not all. Brucie got blown up and died." Harley sipped her own mug nonchalantly.

"What!"

"He's alive. Ya boyfriend and me brought him back to life. The purple girl was working all night to fix him."

Tim sighed relief. "Good." He breathed, "it's not purple it's eggplant."

"Tim. Ya name is Tim right?" He nodded. "This guy blew parts of Gotham to hell last night. The purple girl salvaged the recordings from Brucie's suit. He's threatened all of yous. His little gang has been running rampant all night." Harley genuinely looked concerned.

"When you say all of us-"

"Nightwing. You. Red Hood. Bats. Batgirl. Ya boyfriend, all of you. That redhead lady got shot in the leg last night and barely made it out alive."

"No." Tim hugged his knees. "What are we gonna do? We've lost all our best fighters."

"Those Jokerz are tearing the city apart tryin' to bait you all out." Harley bit her lip. "I think we all lost."

"No. No, we haven't lost. We don't lose and especially not to a fake. At least your ex got his hands dirty, this one is just sitting waiting for us to die. I'll wait for Damian and Steph to wake up and then we're going out there." Tim marched up the stairs and made for the lockers. 

"Hey kid. I know what happened to you now. Ya can't go out there you'll die in minutes." Harley pleaded.

"She's right Tim." Selena stood by the computer. Her eyes were puffed and weighed down by heavy bags. She obviously knew what happened already. "Anyway, the GCPD have gotten the upper hand and the Jokerz have started to pull back. We've brought ourselves a few hours." She stroked Steph's hair. "Come and eat Tim. We're gonna need you with Barbara, not out there. We can't lose you too."

* * *

"Bullock hold them back." A bullet zipped between their faces and hit the car behind them. "They're shooting at me so once I'm in there the bullets will stop." Damian threw a smoke grenade into the shop and ran from behind the car where he was taking cover with Harvey. He shot his grapple and swung up to the roof. He sprinted over the edge and dived down the back of the shop. He landed with a soft thud. He got to work picking the rear door's lock. He made quick work of it and was in the shop in under a minute. "O. Red Robin. Do you have internal security footage for the shop I'm in."

"Robin there's 6 Jokerz. 5 are shooting at the GCPD. One is keeping watch in your direction. Hate to say it but you need to go in hard and fast." Barbara sighed. "Take out the watchman then get in close to the rest. They can't risk shooting eachother unless they're especially dumb."

Robin closed his eyes for a moment and sucked in a long breath. He ran out and took the watchman by surprise. He drove his elbow into the man's face resulting in a sickening crack. He grabbed the Jokerz' ak47 and threw it into the legs of another.

He whipped around the room, letting the bullets follow his trail. Using the wall as a springboard he launched himself into one henchman. He wrapped his arms around the man and flipped over using his momentum to throw the him over his head. He kicked the weapon from the next gunman's hand and headbutted him into unconsciousness.

A bullet nicked his arm. He dropped low and took the legs out of the group. They fell to the floor, Robin wasted no time. He ripped a gun from the floor and drove he stock into the gut of one man, the head of another and the groin of the last.

"All good Bullock." He called from the broken window. "O, Where's the next one?"

"Catwoman and Harley are handling the crisis in China Town. No bats can be seen with them for too long. Wait hold up. I'm getting chatter from Coventry. Looting, riots and a gathering of Jokerz." Red Robin informed him.

"I'll tell Detective Bullock to meet me there. Did you reach Nightwing?" Robin asked.

"He's keeping watch for any Jokerz in Blüdhaven. He couldn't get here but I told him to be ready for an attack." Oracle chimed in.

* * *

"Is this everyone?" Damian asked. He was the last back to the cave for their regroup. Everyone nodded. Oracle's green avatar floated over the cave screen. "Okay then. Reports everyone."

"I cleared up most of China Town. The police are holding the Jokerz but they're running out of cells. Blackgate has a queue." Catwoman said. 

"Me and O have been searching but the Joker fake hasn't surfaced. He's a coward." Red Robin said over the avatar.

"When I left Cat, I searched every one of mine and Mista J's old hideouts but he ain't at any of them. Loads of Joker gas is gone and the experimental guns we stole from Lex. Guns powerful enough to bruise Supes so they'll go through ya armour liek nothin'." Harley interjected.

"Is there no help from Batwoman? Or is she out completely?" Robin pinched his nose.

"No her leg will be out for a week or so. Nicked the artery. She's lost to much blood and took a beating on top of that." Oracle answered.

"Fine. Keep it up we're suppressing this. Harley I want you in the heavier incidents. We all get targeted too quickly but you blend in enough to get in close. Catwoman can you press some of your contacts for any information while we have downtime, stay with Harley and try not to be seen with us." Robin ordered.

Everyone nodded and went in seperate directions for refreshments and rest. Spoiler tapped Robin's shoulder. "He's asking for you Damian."

Bruce eased himself up and tore the oxygen mask from his face. His chest had a large black burn mark where Damian had shocked him. Large pads of gauze covered the other burns on his neck and shoulders. The rest of his body was littered with scratches and bruises. His leg was cast and pinned along with his arm rendering them useless. "Father don't fiddle with equipment." Damian scolded. He took up the seat next to Bruce's bed.

"I wanted to speak with you. Just incase I didn't make it." Bruce rasped.

"Don't talk like that." Damian scowled at him.

"No Damian, let me talk. You know there's a chance my heart will fail again. Please." Bruce pleaded with his eyes. Damian nodded and allowed him to continue. "In my vault, there's letters prepared for all of you. I need you to look after Selena for me. That's all I want, look after eachother, all of you."

Damian sniffed and pushed back tears. "Please fight Father. I don't want to lose you."

"I'm trying son. Don't worry about me." Bruce grasped his hand. "I'm so proud of you. I should've told you more when you were younger. I want you to be happy, if that means you never put on a costume again then so be it. J-just make sure you live your life, because so much of it was taken from you. I love you Damian."

"Father stop. You're not dying. You'll be okay." Damian sobbed. Tears welled inside his mask so he tore it away.

"It doesn't matter. I should tell you this all anyway. I made so many mistakes with Dick and the others-"

"Damian he's talking again!" Spoiler called from across the way. Damian looked at his father who was smiling back at him.

"Go. We can finish this later." Bruce squeezed his hand a final time, before letting go and replacing his oxygen mask.

* * *

"I've been in the same spot for hours. Why haven't all of you come for me yet? You were so close." the Joker spun in his swivel chair and giggled to himself.

"What's the matter? Have you taken time to mourn little Red Riding Hood and the chinky one?" The Joker pulled his eyelids to mock Cassandra. 

"Nooo." Damian screamed. He's plunged his sword into the floor. "They can't be dead! That racist, murdering, scumbag cunt is going to pay!"

"I'm begging you all to come find me. I want to kill all of you as-" the Joker swung his knife with thought before grinning evilly and slipping his tongue past his lips. "Intimately as the other two."

"Oracle trace this now!" Damian begged.

"I'm trying Damian. I promise." Barbara whispered.

"In the meantime. I wonder how the GCPD will cope with a hostile takeover." The Joker waltzed around the room in which he sat and laughed. "I sure hope there enough of you left in action. Please come find me. He wrote that you would. He said you wouldn't be able to help yourselves." He got close to the camera so only his face was visible. "See ya soon."

"It's a trap. Whether we find him or not we'll be walking into an army." Catwoman stated sensibly. 

Damian rewound the feed and played it again. The room lit up briefly halfway through the video. Light pouring from an unseen window. Damian ran to the upper level and studies a map of Gotham.

 _Port Adams_. Damian thought. _The light was from the lighthouse off the coast. He must be in a warehouse on the docks. We didn't check those because he blew one of them sky high yesterday._

Time slowed down, but Damian's mind raced. Jason and Cassandra faces flashed before his eyes. His conversation with Bruce echoed in his ears. 'I want you to be happy. If that means never putting on a costume again then so be it.'

"No father. This is what I need. I will avenge you all." Damian muttered to himself. 

He looked down at his green gloves and tore them off. He slipped his armoured tunic off and draped it over the railing. He slid his hand over an 'R' shuriken and flinged it into the wall.

"Cave open display case number 10. Identity: Damian Wayne. Authentication: Ibn al Xu'ffasch." Damian ordered. He glanced over his shoulder and confirmed no one heard him. 

"Damian where are you? We're heading back out." Selena called. The cave was blasted with the sound of the Batmobile's engine. She looked up at the railing and saw a discarded red tunic with a yellow 'R'. 

* * *

"Guys Port Adams just blew again. Every car around warehouse 24 just exploded." Oracle boomed over the comms.

"That isn't right." Tim muttered. "Warehouse 22 blew last night. It's still cordoned off."

"Tim." Barbara tapped his arm and directed his sight to the screen between them. 

The Joker was brimming with excitement. "They've all come to die. They found me." He ran around the room dancing across the screen.

"Everyone check in quickly." Red Robin asked over the commlink.

"Everyone is at the GCPD fighting the Jokerz off." Spoiler answered.

Tim tapped at his keyboard. "Oracle I'm trying to get surveillance up at Port Adams. Can you help?" Oracle hacked the surveillance allowing Tim to surf through today's footage. There was nothing to see before the cars went up, then a group of Jokerz ran from the warehouse to investigate. "Got him. He's at Port Adams. In warehouse 24. He was right under our nose."

"We're a little held up right now boo." Harley joked.

Sickening screams and gunshots we muffled behind the Joker's laughs. A distant voice pleading for mercy was silenced with a thud. "You see. I had about 60 men guarding me in this place. I wonder how many of Gotham's bats made it through them." More shots cracked before being silenced. There was no more screams. No more gunshots. Just the assailant and the Joker. He stood ready, he smoothed out his tailored purple and green three piece and readied himself for a fight. He twirled a crowbar in one hand and a long switchblade in the other. The door flew across the room and the Joker stared in disbelief. "I killed him. You fake!" he screeched. The imposter over turned a table to put distance between him and his assailant.

"That is rich coming from you." A deep voice boomed. The swish of a batarang cut the air and thudded into the wall, the fake-Joker dodged last minute and held himself ready. 

"You're not Batman. You're a fake. I'll still kill you like the rest. He told me I could do it. He wanted me to do it." The Joker snarled. He lunged forward and swung the crowbar. It clattered to the floor when his arm was caught by a dark gloved hand. His sliced the knife over the assailants elbow illiciting an grunt of pain. 

"I wasn't. But it's what I needed, what I wanted. It's my birthright. It's what Gotham needed." The dark figure rounded on the imposter. "How dare you kill my brother and sister. How dare you hold my city hostage. How dare you speak about her like that? You'll be lucky if I let you keep your tongue. Racist piece of shit." 

"I'm not pretending. He chose me. You'll all die on this night. I am the Joker." The imposter swung wildly. The caped man caught his hand and crushed it. The knife dropped and the man laughed maniacally. 

The caped man held the imposter up to the wall and headbutted him, silencing the sickening giggles. "And I am vengeance." Finned gloves pummeled the man's grotesque extended smile. "I am the night." the figure threw the imposter across the room, he scrambled over to the desk and reached for the camera. A gloved hand fisted in his hair, bending his head up to the camera. The Joker's face was wracked with fear, his white face was streaked with blood. "I'm Batman." Damian slammed the imposters face off the ledge of the table.

He slung a batrarang into the table, filling the cameras view while he dragged the Joker's unconscious body away but his hair.

"Tim who was that?" Barbara said breathlessly. 

Tim beamed at the monitor and wiped a tear of pride way from his eye. "Damian."

* * *

Damian set the Batmobile to autopilot and opened the roof. He rode the vehicle like a surfboard until the throng of clowns appeared in front of the GCPD building. "Computer." Damian waited it out until he was seconds away from mowing down the crowd. "Full brake!" The batmobile ground to a stop and catapulted him over the crowd. He dropped a cannister of knockout gas into the riot and used his cape to glide past the barricade where the GCPD had made a line.

"Gordon. The Joker is down where can I help?" Batman asked.

"We all saw that. Good work. You talk more than he did. All of it true of course." Jim shot his gun into the crowd and launched a tear gas grenade. "He isn't dead is he? I know that's you, Robin, under there."

"He's alive." Damian confirmed.

"Your friends spread out across town. All hell is breaking loose. Someone radioed in about a gathering of these clowns near Wayne Tower." Jim flinched at bullets zipping past their head.

"I'm on it. Let me help here first." Damian tossed a smoke grenade to the ground and grappled up the GCPD building. He dived backwards into the throng and began to turn the tide. He caught a knife flying towards his face with the fins of his gauntlets and wrench the hand forward. The clowns face cracked onto his elbow. He kicked another back, causing a small group to topple over onto the floor. They were trampled by their friends. Batman fought another 10 clowns off before dropping his last knockout grenade and grappling back to the batmobile.

The Jokerz at Wayne Tower had broke ranks and were just trying to loot what they could before returning to their lives. He tied the subdued Jokerz up in a lamp post and dropped into the clocktower a block away.

"Tim." Damian called as he removed his cowl.

Tim ripped off his headset and tackled Damian into a hug. "I'm so proud of you. Jeez you look so hot." He planted a quick kiss on Damian then punched his arm. "That's for going dark you idiot."

"Tt, I suppose I deserve that." Damian admitted. "Barbara, the Commissioner is okay, they're cleaning up the GCPD as we speak. I apologise for not telling anyone about the imposter's location. I didn't want to drag anyone else into a trap. Once they saw the cape and cowl they all dropped their guard."

"Thank you." She smiled and marvelled at the suit. "Let me get you a communicator and I'll switch your name over on the line." she wheeled over to a cabinet and pulled a flat commlink from a box. "This one sits flatter, Bruce used them with his cowl."

"So where am I needed?" Batman asked.

"We've just had loads of Jokerz run from an old building down in Tricorner." She brought up the location, it was a not far away from Jim's place. "They're running so something must've happened. Give it a look then if there's nothing there go assist Spoiler in the Upper West Side."

* * *

Damian burst through the apartment window and readied himself for a fight. The room was still. A shrine to the Joker was sprealed over the main wall. The fist came from nowhere and pummeled the side of Damian's head, he stumbled back into the wall. Defensively, he threw a batarang which the figure caught mid air.

"Batman?" Jason flicked a light on. Cassandra limped into view.

Damian pulled back his cowl and stood. "Jason. Cass. You're alive!"

Jason frowned, "and you're Batman now."

"Batman. Bruce said he wanted me to have it." Damian flashed an awkward smile.

"Suits you." Cass muttered.

"Of course he did." Jason held an indecipherable look on his face.

"Are you okay with that?" Damian asked. He'd feared that Bruce choosing him would cause friction.

Jason stepped close to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He made a lot of very bad decisions." Jason pulled him into a tight embrace. "This ain't one of them."

Damian melted into the embrace. He let out a breath he'd been holding and chuckled a little. He waved Cass into the hug. "He didn't see your face did he Cass? He made fun of you." 

"No. My mask shredded down the eye and side. The security held up though." Cass whispered as she patted Damian's back. 

"Come on Batman. We gotta get Cass some help."

* * *

He dropped Red Hood and Batgirl at the cave then went to meet the Commissioner who had lit up the sky with the bat. Jim sat on the roof ledge, chugging in a cigarette. His arm was in a sling and his cane rested next to him." You did good work out there today son. You saved Gotham."

"I wouldn't go that far Comissioner." Damian thudded down next to Jim.

"I'm sorry about Red Hood and Batgirl."

"No need Gordon. They're alive. He was bluffing and keeping them hostage. He was going to unmask and execute them live once the rest of us were dead."

Jim grunted. "What a stupid plan. Speaking of which." Jim pulled a evidence bag from beside him and handed it over. "It's some sort of sick diary from the original Joker. We've made a copy so this is yours." Damian turned over the battered leather book in his hand. "That fake Joker you dropped at Arkham. His name is Stephen Jakewell. He's just a regular guy obsessed with the Joker. So much so that he tracked down a hideout of the Joker's when he died and found that. It's all in there. He wrote in the blank pages. If it wasn't there then we'd have no clue who he is, he's right off the grid. The fucker wrote his own confession."

"I would've got a confession anyway." Damian stated.

Jim laughed and coughed on smoke. When he opened his eyes Damian was gone. "Oh fuck you Batman!" Jim cried out like a madman. He could not help but smile.

* * *

Damian pulled into the cave and leaped from the car. He was met with thundering applause. He stopped in his tracks and soaked in the praise. He was ready to start filing the diary in the computer but everyone had taken him by surprise. Damian steeled his face and pulled back his cowl. Selena put her arm round him and led him to the group. Harley popped the cork from an expensive bottle of champagne and poured out glasses for everyone. 

Spoiler slinked up beside Damian and leaned in close so no one could hear her. "You know Batman needs a Robin right?"

Damian chuckled and shook his head. "Stephanie I know you're itching to put that costume on again, but no thanks. I don't need a Robin." He clinked her glass and made his way over to Tim.

"Just cause your Batman now, doesn't mean your gonna dump me and go full Bruce." Tim perked an eyebrow up.

"Not at all. I love you too much." Damian kissed Tim and pinched his rear, illiciting a cute giggle.

"What would you do if I demanded the suit. Maybe I could push you off the dinosaur for good effect." Tim nudged Damian with his elbow and chuckled.

"Tt. That is a low blow Timothy."

* * *

Damian drive Harley back to the ARGUS home the next day. He walked in alongside her. He clutched a case at his side and set it down of the coffee table.

"New look, Boy Wonder?" Pamela jibed. Harley kissed her cheek and plumped down next to her. 

Damian pulled back his cowl and sat opposite them. "Something like that. I won't keep you for long but I owe Harley for saving my father and for her help." He opened the case and pulled out a gun looking device with a sac at the end.

"The fuck is that?" Harley squealed.

"The bomb in your neck. I'm going to take it out." He motioned for her to turn around. He scanned with his gauntlet and pinpointed where the bomb sat by her spine. "The court of owls put a similar bomb in me. The sac at the end is made from your living tissue so Waller won't know any different and the anti-removal failsafes won't activate." 

He pressed the barrel to her neck. Pamela leaned forward nervously, he hand gripped the arm of the couch and scratched it, her toxins turned the fabric black. 

The extractor made a bolting sound and Harley fell forward onto her face. "Fuck me. I've had stab wounds better than that." Harley moaned into the pillow.

Damian detached the tissue sac and handed it to Harley. "I'd bury that, or put it in the basement. Now turn around again we need to put this in." Damian held up a small chip and loaded it into the extractor. He made some adjustments for an injection rather than exactraction. "This will fool Waller if she scans over your neck for the bomb."

Harley flinched but then hummed when the injection did not hurt. "Thanks for this. We owe ya." 

"No you don't. Consider any debt to us paid." Damian smiled and held out his hand for Poison Ivy to shake. Harley slapped his hand away on her turn and hugged him instead. "I wish you both happiness." Damian waved and left the two to snuggle on the sofa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you lovely readers thought. I'm a sucker for comments, I get really excited when I have a little '1' in my inbox


	34. You Timothy Drake Are Insatiable - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is split into three smaller parts so anyone who wished to avoid the smut can skip past it.
> 
> Story-smut-story
> 
> Personally the middle chapter is my favourite sex scene I've written.

"Anything else you'd like to say?" Batman taunted the false Joker. All he'd said was sneers about how he was chosen. His dark eyes burned with ferocious hate. Every now and then he'd bare his teeth and snarl at Damian. "You're nothing without his diary."

The fake Joker: Stephen Jakewell bore into him, he paced the glass wall and eyed Damian. Had the glass not been between them, he was sure the imposter would have tried to kill him again. "I'll see you soon Batman. My loyal servants will help me escape." He giggled but didn't avert his gaze. "I won't fail next time. I'll gut all of them like animals just until it's me and you left. I should've killed Red Robin personally, maybe it would've scared you all enough for me to win. I was chosen you see, I'm not perfect yet but I will be. I don't make the same mistake twice."

Damian's blood fired and burned with rage. _Don't talk about my Tim._ Damian snarled internally.

He kept his face level and serious. "Good luck Mr Jakewell." Damian turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. "Next time you try and kill me, bring some skill."

The iron slammed and the bolts slid into the maximum security wall. "Oh I'm not going to kill you. I am the Joker and you are my Batman. One cannot exist without the other, and now we're whole again. It's a modern love story." He dropped of the cliff of sanity and burst into hysterical laughter. The sliced corners of his mouth split open and sheeted blood down his squared chin.

* * *

"Hey Batman." Tim swung his chair round as Damian bounded up the steps to the computer. "He didn't say anything did he?" 

Damian held his lover in his arms and looked into his bright eyes, they were full of love and purity. His dark eyelashes flittered as he blinked up at Damian. He caressed Tim's now flushed cheek with his gloves finger and smiled when he felt the shiver it sent though Tim. "You're gorgeous." Tim squirmed and blushed harder, after months he still could not take a compliment without panicking. "No, he said nothing. Gordon did get all the electronic tags on the Jokerz though. Blackgate is over capacity. Did you finish cataloguing the diary?" 

Tim's lips turned down in displeasure and a sour look invaded his features. "Yeah. I was nearly sick a few times but now it's all on the database. Literally everything was in there. What he did to Jason, Barbara, Jim, everyone. So many passages about his twisted feelings for Batman. Pictures too, I never want to see that thing again." 

Tim helped to unclip Damian's cape and detached the pauldrons. He watched the young man wiggle out of his uniform and strip to his underwear. The lounge clothes he had draped over his arm were soon covering Damian's modesty. "The plan was outlined clearly. In the event of his death. I did make a note of how I think it might've been deliberately sabotaged to not work, as a last fuck you to whoever would replace him."

"You're brilliant darling." Damian kissed Tim's forehead and led them up the steps. 

"Wanna hear the stinger. Me and Babs had a right laugh at this." Tim squeezed the large hand enveloping his and bounced excitedly. Damian's eyebrows perked at the sudden excitedness. "Ya know who the actual Joker said Batman was? Bradley Walters." 

"Timothy who the fuck is Bradley Walters?" Damian opened their door and laid starfished out on their bed. 

"He isn't anyone. The Joker knew Bruce was Batman and didn't write it down. So we're safe. When the fake stuttered 'B' he was gonna say Bradley." Tim laid his head on Damian's chest and trialed his nails up and down the cotton covering his abdomen. "The Joker fucked this guy over bad." 

They laid with each other for a while. Absorbing the distant sounds of the city and faint hum of the Manor. Tim could just about hear Damian's heart. The slow rhythm was one of the many small comforts Damian's body provided to Tim.

"How was Harley?" Tim whispered. He didn't dare speak louder and disturb the comfy quiet they basked in. 

"She was good. I don't think she expected me to take Waller's bomb out." Damian copied Tim's hushed tone. "I'm just happy to be in bed with some quiet." 

"I love this. Just laying here is arguably better than sex." Tim huffed a tiny laugh and shut his eyes. 

Damian wiggled and wrapped his arms over Tim, clutching his head to his pecs and pulling his nails gently through Tim's hair. The light draft from the window was now completely negated by their combined heat. Damian wished the duvet under them was draped over them, but moving was out of the question. Damian and Tim seemed to fit together like two perfect puzzle pieces. No matter what position they laid in, it was comfortable and right. Wrenching themselves away from eachother made some mornings extremely troublesome. 

"Mmm. Shame we have to work tommorow and wake up." 

Tim sighed sleepily. "I'm sure that as your boss I can forgive a day off." 

* * *

Damian roused from his sleep to a knock at his door. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and said for the visitor to enter in a dry raspy voice. Selena poked her head through the door and grinned childishly at her boys snuggled in bed. "Breakfast in half an hour, I thought I'd let you all sleep in but I know you'd get all moody if I let you stay for too long. Jason's here too, he came to check on Cassie." She chuckled to herself at Tim's state.

"Thank you." Damian smiled tiredly as she shut the door again. He glanced at Tim's clock which read: 10:22. Tim let out a little whine and shuffled on him. During the night Tim had maneuvered himself from laying next to Damian, to laying on top of him, much to Selena's amusement. 

"Who was that?" Tim mumbled. He rolled off of Damian and rubbed his eyes. 

"Selena. Breakfast in half an hour. I was going to leave you here until later." Damian rolled himself upright and stretched. "Go back to bed, handsome. I'll get you up when it's ready."

"Nah I'm good. I'm awake." Tim climbed up behind Damian and kissed his neck. "Lay with me for abit?" He whispered. He rubbed his crotch up Damian's spine. 

Damian chuckled to himself. "Can you not wait? How are you even ready for that after waking up a minute ago?" 

"I'd rather not." Tim bit his ear. "You make me ready wherever and whenever. Work, in public, at the dinner table. I can't help it that you're so hot." 

"You, Timothy Drake, are insatiable. Come on." Damian dragged him out the room and down the hallway. Tim hobbled after him, and tried to twist his wrist from Damian's iron grip. 

"Dami! I can't go down there now I'm hard." Tim giggled and tugged back. 

"That was the plan, did you not say dinner table? I want to make you squirm." Damian purred. They stood at the top of the stairs. Tim bit his lip. "I thought you liked getting caught." 

"I do. It's exciting." Tim flushed and pulled his t-shirt down. 

Damian pushed Tim up against the bannister and held his hands over Tim's which were clamped onto the wood. "Then let's get caught here."


	35. You Timothy Drake Are Insatiable - Part 2 (Smut)

Damian pressed his hips onto Tim's ass and ground himself between Tim's asscheeks. Tim giggled and pushed back, "Oh my god Dami we're so gonna get caught. If someone comes up here-" Tim stopped abruptly when two fingers were presented in front of his mouth.

"Suck" Damian commanded.

Tim took the fingers in his mouth and lapped at them like it was his lover's cock. He covered them with spit, swirling his tongue and taking them down to the knuckle. Damian curled his fingertips at the back of his throat making him gag and buck his hips with arousal. He moaned around his hand and continued to suck his digits until saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.

"Don't take your hands off that bannister at all." Damian ordered. He ripped down the back of Tim's bottoms down and cupped his ass cheek, he kneeded the tight muscle with his palm and squeezed. Tim whimpered but his mouth was still filled. Damian gave a small slap to his rear which echoed down cold hallway. "This really turns you on?" He questioned when he pulled his fingers from Tim's lips.

"God yes." He gasped and panted as Damian forced his tongue into his opening. 

He held his slick fingers up as he ate Tim out. Tim fought back the moan the threatened to leave his lungs. He pulled away and pressed a tender kiss to the faint handprint he'd left. "Mmm breakfast." Damian joked.

Tim laughed noisily. "Very funn- ahhhh." his sentence morphed into a long groan when Damian pressed his spit slick fingers all the way in. Damian felt and proded Tim's insides, reveling in the silky tightness of his passage.

"Do you want me to touch you Timothy?" Damian asked.

Tim became painfully aware of his erection that was close to ripping through the material. "Yes please." he pleaded in a hushed tone.

"I didn't hear that. What do you want me to do?" Damian said through an evil smirk. He twisted his wrist and split his long fingers apart. Tim's opening hugged him and resisted the stretch. 

_What a little fucker._ Tim thought. _He's gonna make me do it._

"Touch me please." Tim begged. He raised his voice barely above his previously whisper. Damian curled his fingers over Tim's prostate and pushed. A wave of arousal swallowed Tim and his legs buckled. A desperate squeal escaped his lips. 

"Louder. Just one more time. I think a grenade exploded last night and my hearing is a little fuzzy." Damian held back a laugh.

"I want you to jerk me off, you evil little fuckwit!" Tim exclaimed. He was absolutely sure everyone in the house could hear him but that only worsened his problem. He gripped the bannister until the wood was crunching under his palm and his knuckles were white. 

Damian freed him and wrapped his palm over his pre cum soaked head. Tim's cock jumped and pulsed in his hand, he twisted and squeezed, milking Tim of his pre. "I love how much you leak." Damian praised him in a too-loud voice. He pumped his fingers furiously and scraped Tim's sweet spot. Tim's hips thrust harder into his hand. "What if we had sex in my office? The whole lab could see us if I left the door open." Tim let out a throaty moan and pushed back onto Damian's fingers. "Everyone would know who's ass this is." He pulled his fingers all the way out and rammed them back in. "Who's is it, Drake?"

"Yours." Tim whined. The words stuck in his throat. "Fuck Dami, I love it when you take charge."

"Tim. Damian." Jason called up the stairs. "Get your tongues out of each other and get down here, breakfast is nearly ready."

Tim went stiff and clenched around the fingers that worked inside him. "You didn't tell me Jay was here." He whispered. Damian answered by licking up his neck and into his ear. Tim didn't know how to feel. The imminent threat of getting caught being dominated by Damian was hot, but it made him nervous and embarrassed all the same. 

Damian thumbed over his piss slit and glided his hand over the tip. He sped up pushing Tim to the edge. "Answer him." Damian prompted. He sucked hard on Tim's neck and swirled his tongue over the wound. 

Tim made a choking sound. He was on the brink, only holding back his orgasm by sheer force of willpower. "I'm coming." Tim called down, cringing at his choice of words.

"Okay then, don't make me drag you both." Jay called up.

Damian rammed his hand into Tim with such force that he nearly lifted Tim of the ground. With an obscene strangled noise Tim came into Damian's cupped hand. He groaned and drooled, his body was ablaze with arousal. Damian assaulted his sweet spot making Tim shudder and convulse around him until he was empty. He so desperately wanted to collapse but Damian's fingers propped him up like an obscene ventriloquist. 

Damian brought his hand, acting as a cum resivoir to Tim's face. "Eat up Timothy." Damian said cheerfully, he littered small loving kisses all around his neck. Tim ate his own seed enthusiastically, cleaning Damian's fingers and palm with his tongue. "Good." Damian congratulated. "My turn."

Damian retrieved his fingers from Tim's abused rear, wiping the slick on Tim's lower back. Tim turned and knelt, he eyed the younger man's pressing erection with visible hunger. Damian pulled his waistband down to let his throbbing cock fall onto Tim's face. "Hands on the bannister Drake." Tim grinned because he knew what Damian had in mind by taking his hands away.

He reached behind his back and held the spindles tightly. He opened his mouth obediently. Damian clutched Tim's head and held it steady. His cock stretched Tim's small mouth to its limit, his girth filled him completely. He felt Tim's throat tighten and gag as he pushed the last few inches in. Tears dripped down Tim's cheeks and onto Damian's thumbs.

He owned Tim's mouth, pounding his length in and out mercilessly.

 _He looks fucking stunning._ Damian marveled.

Tim's face was flushed with heat, his lips were stretched, red and shined with spit and cum. His eyes were bloodshot and teary, filled with lust and arousal. Tim's nostrils flared where he was taking in what air he could only for it to be forced from his lungs by Damian's punishing thrusts. 

"Guys. Come on I'm plating up now." Jason stood at the bottom step. Damian saw his brother's reflection in the tall window. He burrowed himself into Tim until his nose was flush with Damian's stubble-pubes. Damian clamped his mouth shut and stifled a moan when Tim's throat spasmed erratically. 

He leaned over the rail and shouted down: "Timothy has got a leg cramp. He slept funny. Give us 5 minutes Todd." He could feel Tim's ragged breath on his skin. His tongue creeped out and thrashed the underside of his length. 

"You two better not be shouting down to me while fucking. I swear to god." Jason warned. 

"Tt, we would never do that." Damian lied. He heard a faint, breathless whimper escape Tim. He pushed impossibly deeper for good measure. 

"5 minutes." Jason called. 

Damian saw his reflection disappear so he pulled out and let Tim gasp for air. He waited a few breaths before gliding past his lips again. 

His thrusts were sloppy as he chased his climax. He fucked Tim's head until his insides tightened and he spilled into Tim's mouth. "Fuck, Drake." 

His tongue worked Damian's pulsing head, eating up his second serving of cum this morning. "My my Timothy. Two servings of breakfast already. How will you eat Jason's feast." Damian pulled away, leaving trails of spit and cum to criss-cross Tim's pointed chin. He hauled his cock back into his bottoms and left Tim dishevelled and panting for air. "You work on that leg cramp, I'll save you a seat." He bent to kiss Tim's heated forehead and bounced down the stairs. 


	36. You Timothy Drake Are Insatiable - Part 3

Damian made his way to the kitchen and washed his hands. Todd had made a full English breakfast, which was sitting at the table ready for them. Damian's plate looked measly, without the bacon, sausages and black pudding there wasn't much left. He saved the seat next to him and thanked Jason for his cooking. "I thought you'd be avoiding the Manor since Father came back." He sipped his coffee and looked expectantly at Jason.

"We came to an understanding. Anyway he's knocked out and on a drip downstairs. So out of sight..." Jason shoveled an mouthful of food and made an 'it is what it is' expression.

"How is the leg Cassandra?" Damian grinned evilly when he heard Tim's slow steps on the stairs.

"Better. Can't dance for a week, two weeks, but better." Cass said. 

She waved at Tim who sat delicately down on his abused rear next to his boyfriend. Damian turned Tim's head and planted a kiss on his swolled red lips. He licked his own lips when he pulled away making Tim flush scarlet. "Get that cramp out?" Damian chirped.

"Yeah thanks." He croaked in a small and weak voice.

"What's up with your throat?" Selena pressed.

Tim felt the burn on his cheeks and panicked. "I-I uhh think I'm coming down with a cold. Immune system isn't what it used to be after all." He ducked his head into his coffee to avoid any judgmental looks.

 _Damian gets what he wanted. I am squirming_. Tim thought. 

"Take it easy sweetie. A chest infection could be bad, we don't want you coughing badly and setting back your ribs' recovery." Tim flashed a fake smile at Selena's words and kicked Damian under the table.

* * *

"Did you have to keep making eyes at me anytime I ate a bit of sausage?" Tim slammed their door and pointed at Damian, who hugged a pillow and buried his face in it to stop laughing. "Selena texted me and asked if I needed my food cut smaller when I choked on it." He punched the pillow Damian was hugging. "Because of you and your stupid face." 

"You we're chocking on something though weren't you Drake?" Damian threw the pillow at Tim and laid back on the bed.

"Shut it gremlin." Tim sneered. He climbed on top of Damian and held either side of his head. He squished Damian's cheeks together and frowned. "I fucking hate you sometimes." 

"I love you too." 


	37. Teeny Titans Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to write. It allows me to introduce some characters and their personalities without cramming it into a future in person meeting.

The following Sunday, Tim lay spread out over his bed covered in paperwork he should've been working on. Damian was due back any minute now after cutting patrol short. Being a higher up in the company was hard work, but not all that different to what Tim had done before. But he longed to get back in the lab and tinker with things. The formal work shackled him to his desk. So much so, it made Tim seriously reconsider turning down an assistant. He shut his laptop and collected all the sheets, "That's enough for tonight." He mumbled to himself, "Not like I was doing it anyway."

He cleared the bed and settled in. He wore one of Damian's muscle tshirts but didn't even begin to fill it out properly and some tattered jogging bottoms. Earlier in the week Tim had switched his duvet to a higher tog, the winter was bitter and the Manor had not had it's central heating renovated since the earthquake. Damian had been making plans for getting some fake holographic fireplaces and an energy efficient heating system put in through the house. Tim curled up into a ball and put a mindless program on TV as background noise. The heavy feathered duvet weighed down and cuddled him. Nothing quite compared to Damian's radiator-like body, but his new bedding was close enough.

His phone lit up and pinged. Tim scrambled to it, praying to the universe that nothing was wrong with Damian. He breathed a sigh of relief when the notification read: 'Encryted message: TTT'

He opened his chat app and signed in with a pin, password, facial scan and fingerprint. The entire app was a group project cleverly designed by Tim, Victor, Barbara and Bart. It had some of the best encryption on the planet, they forced Bart to read book after book on programming so he could speed type what they needed to. After they got it up and running, Barbara appropriated the tech for her emergency messaging system that all the Bats, Titans and Justice League use.

After the overly cautious sign in process he opened the groupchat labeled 'Teeny Titans Talk.' and read the new message.

> **TEENY TITANS TALK**
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> @everyone. Unfortunately after days of protesting, I've had my arm twisted into having a celebration for the 5th anniversary of me being leader. 2nd of January at the tower. I hope no one turns up so we can cancel it. But anyway all Titans are invited, don't come for me, come for the booze. 
> 
> **Bart⚡:**
> 
> She playing it dowm. It's nto a celebrstion. Issa PARTY. It's gonna be so crahs. 🎉🍻⚡
> 
> **Rose ⚔ :**
> 
> I guess I don't have a choice. I live here. 
> 
> **Bart⚡:**
> 
> Nah ya fon't 😝
> 
> **Jaime 🐞:**
> 
> I'll be there. Can't believe it's been 5 years already. 
> 
> **Miguel 🏗️:**
> 
> I wouldn't miss a party! 
> 
> **Gar 🐾:**
> 
> I'm not filming anything over the holidays so I'm definitely coming. 
> 
> **Vic 🤖:**
> 
> Booyah. Party time. I'm there. I mean I live there so I'm there by default but the intention is behind it. 
> 
> **The most Super of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Ma won't be happy I'm leaving so early after New year but I'm making sure we have this damn party whether you like it or not Cassie!
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> Are you guys not listening. Don't come I don't want a party, I'm being bullied by Bart and Kon. 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> I'm there. Can't wait to see everyone again. I'm dying for a proper party, all I've got is the WE Christmas gala coming up and we all know how they go. 
> 
> **The most Super of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Dude, no one knows how they go. None of us are rich as fuck or run billion dollar companies. That's a you problem. 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> #nicerproblemstohave 🤘😛
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> You're welcome to bring your boyfriend Tim. Most of us ain't actually spoken to him since he was a snotty 12 year old. Dear Hera, I hope he's changed.
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> Yes he has. I think he's back I'll ask him in a minute. He probably won't say yeah but I ask anyway. 
> 
> **Jackson 🐳:**
> 
> Who's Tim's boyfriend? I've been in Atlantis for too long. 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Robin. Ya know the moody onr. 
> 
> **Vic 🤖:**
> 
> Actually, couple of whispers floating around the Internet say Robin hasn't been seen since the Jokerz takeover last week. And Batman got a shiny new suit and is moving like a man 20 years younger...
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Omfhbcfjs. Timmy are you fuckinh Batmab. Not ya Dad Batman but the new onr?????? 
> 
> **Rose ⚔:**
> 
> No fucking way is Damian the new Batman? 
> 
> **Miguel 🏗️:**
> 
> Damn. I bet he looks so fine. *Chefs kiss*
> 
> **The most Super of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Didn't you literally fuck Red Hood. How many of them do you want?
> 
> **Miguel 🏗️:**
> 
> Me and Tim are always gonna be just friends.
> 
> Tim's bf is ridiculously hot but well out of bounds.
> 
> If Nightwing wants a walk on the wild side then I'm there. He gets the rear of the year award, EVERY YEAR. 
> 
> None of them are Red Hood. He is just 😍
> 
> **Jaime 🐞:**
> 
> We need to find you a boyfriend man. You're driving us mad. Maybe if you stopped talking about Red Hood and went and fucked him again we'd get some peace and quiet. 
> 
> **Miguel🏗️:**
> 
> 🖕🖕🖕
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Is he batmaj or not?

Tim sighed and sent a few pictures into the chat that he took earlier in the week. He knew a picture would say the thousand words he wanted to put to text. 

In the first photo, Damian had his mask pulled back, showing of his messy cowl hair. The suit was clearly visible over Tim's shoulder. He had a shit-eating grin plastered over his feature while Damian frowned mockingly from a meter or so away. 

The second photo, Damian was hugging Tim from behind and rested his chin on the smaller man's shoulder. Tim reached over and pinched his cheeks together forcing his lips into a fishy pout which Tim mimicked with his own mouth. 

The third was Damian laughing with a real smile and leaning away from Tim's shoulder as he giggled. This particular photo was Tim's favourite, he could not believe he had immortalised one of Damian's genuinely toothy smiles. The sparkling million dollar grin that made Tim's heart swell. 

The final pic was Tim blushing and smiling modestly as Damian kisses his cheek red cheek. His gloved hand was caressing Tim's jaw as he did. Tim could still feel the slight wetness of his lips and the rough material of his glove so delicately angling his face up. 

> **TEENY TITANS TALK**
> 
> **Jackson 🐳:**
> 
> Damn he is hot. You did well Tim. 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Hoky shit. He's axtualky Batman 😨😨
> 
> **The most Super of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Jon's gonna be pissed. We're both stuck as Superboy and his best friend just graduated to a legend :/
> 
> **Rose ⚔:**
> 
> Weirdly it suits him. I bet he's sad that he had to ditch the sword.
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> He is. He's got an interesting new design, I'll see if he'll let me bring one for you.
> 
> **Rose ⚔:**
> 
> Another one for the wall. You da best.
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Foes the suit stay on durinf sex?? 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> Not discussing my sex life in this chat. In person or ever. He's back now so I'll ask if he wants to come. 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Bad choice og words
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> Shut up Bart! Boundaries! We've gone over this. 

Tim locked his phone for the time being and welcomed Damian. "Hey. All good?" Tim smiled and let Damian kiss him. 

He stripped from his undersuit, down to his briefs and climbed under the covers next to Tim. "Of course and how are you tonight Handsome? Did you get that work done?" 

"Yeah all good. I can finish it up tommorow at the office. I've got a proposal for you." Tim shuffled himself over and laid his head on Damian's chest. He brushed his toes over Damian's foot, making his leg quiver from the tickle. 

"Shoot." Damian wrapped Tim's grown out strands of hair round his finger and curled them loosely. 

"Cassie, Sandsmark not Cain, wants to know if you want to come to the Titans party in the new year." 

"I've been a Titan for about two - three weeks in the ten years I was Robin. I'm not a Titan so I'll politely decline. Are you going?" Damian replied casually. 

"Yeah of course. Unless you don't want me to..." Tim trailed off

"Of course I want you to! If you said you weren't going, I was going to force you into it. It'd be good for you to see your friends." Damian flicked Tim's ear for his stupidity. "You never need my approval to do anything Tim. I don't own you." 

"I'll tell her now. We've all been texting for ages, it's nice to feel normal." 

"What isn't normal Timothy, is this drivel you're watching." Damian reached for the remote and began to flick through the channels.

> **TEENY TITANS TALK**
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> He's not coming. He said he's not a Titan so he politely declines. 
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> Too bad. He's welcome to change his mind. 
> 
> **Gar 🐾:**
> 
> Did anyone get hold of Kori?
> 
> **Vic 🤖:**
> 
> I don't think she'll be back for a while. She's off world.
> 
> **Jaime 🐞:**
> 
> How are you anyway Tim? After the shot that went down and all. 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> The hand is getting there but otherwise I'm fine. I'm being taken care of and coddled. 
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> God I wish someone would coddle me. 
> 
> **Rose ⚔:**
> 
> Tim seriously what have you done to Damian? That hard nosed little shit doesn't seem like the type to take cosy pictures with anyone. Mad hatter tech? Cmon what have you done?

Tim shuffled on Damian's chest and looked up into his eyes. "Can you take a really cosy picture with me. I'm trying to prove a point to Rose." 

"Sure. What were you thinking?" Damian peeked over at the texts but could not read the small font. 

"Just something sickeningly sweet. Uhhh I'll lay here and can you comb through my hair and kiss my head. Make sure you have your eyes closed and look soft, no frowning." Tim opened his camera and held it away from them. 

"Tt, please tell me how that's anything different from what we usually do." Damian posed for the photo, he took the opportunity to breathe in the sweet scent of Tim's shampoo. Tim showed him the photo, Damian admitted to himself that it was sweet. "Go back to the camera, let's get some more." 

Damian sat up with Tim's and leaned on the headboard. He held under Tim's chin and pressed their lips together gently. The camera shutter went off but Damian continued to kiss his lover. "How about a fun one." Tim bit his lip and waited for the inevitable 'no'. 

"Sure." Tim was stunned by Damian's willingness. He held the camera away set it to burst. Tim settled on a cheesy closed-eyes grin with a peace sign. Damian had one eye was pinched shut and the over left open and surprised. He half smiled with his long tongue stuck out over his chin. 

> **TEENY TITANS TALK**
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> *3 attachments*
> 
> He'll take cosy pics with me anytime. He loves me. 
> 
> **The most Super of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Gross. Cute but gross. 
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> I'm so glad you're happy. I was getting tired of seeing your miserable ass moping around the tower. 
> 
> **Miguel 🏗️:**
> 
> 😌😌😌
> 
> **Jackson 🐳:**
> 
> 🤗
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> Please drag him along. I heard he's a party pooper and I kinda need that. Someone has to ruin it so everyone can go home and never throw me a party again. 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> ... 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Cassoe ya havinf that party. I can run a nd get everyinw if I need to!!!!! 
> 
> **Cassie 🔩 ⚡:**
> 
> I'll just tell supes there underage drinking and wait for him to crash it. 
> 
> **The most Super of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> He probably would tbf :/
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> I'm gonna hop out the chat and go to sleep, you guys are 3 hours behind me remember. Vic, can you wipe those pictures of Damian in the batsuit from the server and wherever else it is. 
> 
> **Vic 🤖:**
> 
> Sure thing man. Don't be a stranger. 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Tellema said heyyyuy

Tim shut off his phone and plugged it in to charge overnight. Damian looked sleepy and was barely keeping his eyes open to watch whatever he'd put on TV. "Bart says Hi. He's never really met you but he said it anyway." Tim said quietly, not wanting to disturb him. 

"Mmm. That is the loud one right?" Damian answered sleepily. 

"They're all loud but he's just especially loud." Tim turned the lamp off so the only light in the room was from the TV. "Would it be okay if I took one of yours and Harper's swords to the tower for Rose. I just thought that now you don't use them all, I could pinch one."

"Of course. Batman wielding a sword sends the wrong message anyway. Its nice to get back to my fists, I was relying too much on weapons." Damian nuzzled Tim's hair and dotted kisses over his head. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah. Come on." Tim settled down into his pillow and let Damian wrap around him. Damian flicked the TV off and straightened his leg for Tim to stroke with his own. "Night Dami."

"Good night Tim."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bart's spelling mistakes are 100% intentional. He types so fast that he missed the right keys sometimes.
> 
> Did everyone like the emojis after their names. Like cassies: 🔩⚡ means bolt of lightning. And the duck next to Tim is a Drake.


	38. Carrot Cake

"I thought you weren't heading out tonight?" Tim looked puzzled at Damian slipping into his undersuit.

"I wasn't. But that's fine because you're coming with me." Damian brushed his chin and walked out of their room to the stairs.

Tim panicked and hurried after him. "I-I umm Damian I don't think I'm ready. I haven't trained or anything in over a month."

They approached the grandfather clock where Damian moved the hands round. "Timothy we're not hunting criminals. I want to take you out and swing around the city. If you want to, that is." The clock slid over revealing the steps down to the cave. "I suppose it was a bit presumptuous to assume you'd want to."

Tim held Damian's hand in his own, "I just- I do want to, I'm dying to be back out there. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, what if I fall?" 

Damian squeezed his hand and looked deep into Tim's icy eyes. "If you fall, I'll catch you. Always." Tim blushed and would've looked away if it wasn't for Damian's emerald stare holding him in place. "Anyway, I've been making some adjustments to your winged suit that will help you get back in the game. I cannot do much with your original suit."

Damian led him by the hand down the steps, Bruce grunted at them from the computer. "Evening Father. Shouldn't you be resting." He said lightly. 

Bruce's face twisted into a scowl that reminded Tim exactly where Damian got it from. "I'm fine. The leg is in this goddamn thing and I'm not exerting myself." Bruce huffed. Images of the explosion he was caught in were displayed over the Batcomputer screens. "I'm going over the case just to be sure we didn't miss anything."

"I am taking Timothy out to swing through the city. Please get some rest Father, it's only been a week." Damian shot a glance at Tim who watched on apprehensively. Bruce grunted in response and didn't turn around.

Damian dragged Tim's suit from the workstation and laid some components out on the table. He fumbled with the glove and gauntlets until the display glowed to life. "It was tricky to fit more into this glove than you'd already put into it but I managed it eventually." He handed it to Tim and made him slip it on. "Now what's something you haven't been able to do with your hand since it was injured?"

Tim lost himself in thought, there were so many things he'd missed doing. Despite getting better everyday with projonged exercises and the physio Steph was doing, he could only just curl his fingers into a loose cylinder, maneuvering them to do even simple tasks like cutting food and holding something was difficult. Every now and then he'd smack his hand off something and he'd be incapacitated with pain for a few moments. "Uhh. I haven't high-fived anyone?" Tim settled on a simple high five rather than a complex task.

Damian raised his hand and pointed to his palm. "High five me as hard as you can. Trust me."

"Damian won't that hu-"

"Trust me." Damian's eyes sparkled and he smirked mischievously.

Tim pulled his hand back and braced himself for the shot of pain that was coming. He slammed his hand into Damian's and- Nothing. He did it again to be sure and looked shocked at his gloved hand. "Damian. How?" Tim stuttered.

"State-of-the-art shock absorbing fibre. I had them organised in micro springs for good measure. It's very thick which restricts grip and dexterity but that isn't so much of an issue for you." Damian looked on smugly while Tim flexed his hand and hit it off the table. "That isn't all. Put the other glove on then the wings."

Tim slipped his right gauntlet on then shouldered on the small backpack and let the red wings fall from their casing. "Now." Damian started. "Extended them up with your arms outstretched." Tim held out his arms and pressed on the small button inside his right glove, the wings shot up, but before Tim could hold them steady, they stayed in place and remained rigid without his assistance. 

Damian ran his finger over the wings. "The outer ribbons now have a similar electronic flexion system to the others, but this one is much more powerful. That piezoelectric fabric is really hard to make, I can see why you hate when this cape gets shredded. I couldn't get the resistance down enough using human technology, so there's a hybrid Kryptonian/Tamaranean circuit in there coupled with those micro filaments Harper made, but repurposed. The end ribbons will follow a tracker in the gauntlets until you turn them off." Damian bent Tim's arm down and up showing him how the wings followed the finned gauntlets. 

Tim felt tears prick in his eyes, he clicked the small button again and let the wings drop down so he could wipe his eyes. "This must've taken so long. You didn't have to do this for me." Tim choked, his voice broke multiple times during his sentence, only embarrassing him further.

"It's worth it. Anything for you. My Timothy." Damian lifted Tim up into the air and kissed him deeply. He could feel a smile pulling at Tim's lips beneath his.

* * *

Bruce hobbled over to the railing to see what was keeping the two. He rested on his crutches and looked on at the scene. He had heard Damian sourcing all different components to aid Tim's return to the field all week. Phone calls to various allies and using his status as a WE researcher to get cutting edge tech. 

He watched as Tim spread his wings and waved them like a child with a new toy. They went limp and dropped down so Damian could pick Tim up and embrace him. The pure look of glee on Tim's face was undeniable. Damian seemed to draw his own happiness from seeing his boyfriend so overjoyed. 

Bruce's mouth twitched into a smile before he limped back to the desk. 

* * *

The ground rose rapidly to meet Tim. The light of hundreds of windows zipped past his face as he plummeted to the ground. He clicked his small button and felt his weight phase away in an instant. The lights slowed down and he floated through the street. _The cars look so small from up here._ The wind whipped at his hair and the cold bit at his face. Tim didn't mind, he had missed this feeling, the feeling that he'd chased ever since seeing the Flying Graysons perform decades ago. The feeling of ruling the skies. 

Nothing compared to the rush, the awe, the weightlessness of being carried by the wind. Some people partake in gardening or hiking to feel closer to nature but Tim felt that nothing brought him closer to the Earth than letting her winds hold him up. When soaring above the city, he truly did feel like a Robin. 

He let the wings go limp and grappled himself round a corner, feeling brave, he somersaulted through the skies and extended his wings once more, the momentum thrust him up higher until he was a god looking over Gotham. Damian swung below him and twirled in the air to observe Tim. Tim angled his arms back and let himself drop down, the air whistled in ears while he flew to his lover. 

Tim grinned as he whipped past Damian and rounded the next street. Batman gave chase, using his own cape to glide next to Red Robin. For a brief moment time slowed while they looked at each other in mid air, the lights blurred on their descent, but Tim didn't notice anything past Damian's whited out eyes. 'I love you' he mouthed before firing his grapple onto the nearest building and dismounting on the roof. 

* * *

"It never gets old does it?" Damian had spoken the first words since both boys landed on the roof half an hour ago. They simply watched the city live and pulse around them while they dangled their legs over the edge. The cold didn't matter if they were together... Or if their suits weren't insulated.

"It doesn't." Tim whispered, he adjusted his head on Damian's shoulder. "Sometimes I'd jump from the tower's roof just to feel it."

"After everything you've been through Timothy. I'm so glad you're happy. You're a shining beacon, it'd be so easy for you to give up, but that's just not you." Damian planted a kiss on Tim's cheekbone and swiped the hair from his face. Tim edged his hand over and wrapped it over Damian's without tearing his gaze from the city.

"What's the time?" Tim asked.

"Nearly midnight. Why?"

"Midnight snack?" Tim perked an eyebrow and smirked.

* * *

"Yeah hi. Can I get an Americano, and a Latte please." Tim perused the cake selection at the night cafe's counter. "Ooo and I'll have a slice of carrot cake and a blueberry muffin as well thank you."

The terrified shop assistant's hands shook as they prepared the drinks. Tim had smiled and used his best manners but the workers were still terrified that he was even in their shop. The teen carefully used the tongs to retrieve the cakes. "W-would you like them in boxes or in a napkin?" The teen boy's voice cracked and squeaked. Tim couldn't actually tell whether it was puberty or nerves.

"Just wrapped in a napkin is fine. Thank you." Tim flashed his best smile then remembered he'd left his dentures at home because he didn't want them flying out mid-air. He promptly shut his mouth and looked away. "Why are you working late anyway kid? You can't be older than 14."

The spotty faced teenager pushed his glasses up and stirred the first cup. "I'm 15 Mr. Robin. I'm helpin' my Mom out. Things got rough so I'm picking up extra shifts where I can Sir. A family friend owns this cafe." He pushed the drinks onto the counter and placed the wrapped cakes next to them. "I suppose you could have these on the house." He stuttered. 

"Nah of course I'll pay. How much?" Tim pulled the huge wad of cash from his belt. 

"$12.75." The barista squeaked. 

Tim handed him a $20 dollar bill and told him to keep the change. "Thanks. You're a good kid helping your Mom out. If you don't mind me asking, what bills are you working to help out with?" 

The teen shuffled and looked down. "Just food. We can pay rent an' that but we don't have much left over to buy groceries. Put it this way Mr Robin, we eat a lot of ramen." 

Tim counted out $2000 from his wad and slid it over. "That's to give you a head start. Anything else you need to pay for? Energy bills?" The teen nodded shamefully. Tim handed over another $1000 with a seperate $100 bill. "That should help out, you're a good kid. Use the hundred to buy yourself something as a treat. I'll be back." 

Tim swiped the drinks and treats and left the stunned teen in his empty cafe.

 _Doing that never gets old, no matter how many times I do it._ Tim chuckled.

Damian leaned against the Batmobile with a knowing grin. "You gave him cash didn't you?" He accepted his proffered coffee and muffin and sat on the bonnet of the car.

Tim settled next to him and dug in to his carrot cake. It was damn good cake, so much so that Tim moaned his satisfaction. "We are coming here more often. Deserted streets. Cheap prices. Good food. Date night!"

Damian coughed a little and chuckled. "You're easy to please. There are burger joints in the Narrows that fit that criteria." Tim munched the last of his cake. Unbeknownst to him, he had smeared cream cheese frosting all over his nose and lips. "Timothy you animal, you're covered in frosting."

"Vut vits goof." Tim mumbled through his mouthful.

"Yes I know it's good, you tramp." Damian slipped his glove off and scooped the cream cheese from Tim's nose and popped his finger into Tim's mouth. "You're lucky I love you enough to put up with disgusting behaviour."


	39. You are cordially invited...

"Cassie and I are going shopping today to find us both dresses for tomorrow." Selena chirped, she set down a pitcher of fresh orange juice on the table, followed by Damian with plates of waffles.

"You're coming?" Tim questioned.

"Yeah, I'm gonna make all the rich folks feel really uncomfortable. I'll deflect questions to all you lot." Selena shrugged and gulped down her drink.

Selena's situation with Bruce was problematic to say the least. The backlash of their relationship even caused a drop in the stock price for WE. Bruce eventually held a press conference explaining that Selena's past as a thief was exactly that: the past. He went on to reveal how she was committed to community service with orphaned children and had bargained her freedom in exchange for single handedly taking down the rest of her Calabrese family and putting them behind bars.

Selena and Bruce going public also meant that Batman had to stop being seen with Catwoman. The link to Bruce and Batman would've been too great. Instead they staged various confrontations where it was made clear to the public that they had a mutual hate for each other.

"Maybe we should go public Timothy." Damian suggested. The sound of muttering tale talk and cutlery ground to a halt. All eyes fell on him. "It's not a terrible idea. I don't understand the shock."

"Are you sure? I mean I'd be fine with it but this will be front page news for weeks. The press'll crowd the gates all day." Tim half smiled and shrugged at Damian.

"Damian. I can't stop you but I do suggest against it." Bruce grumbled. "I'm not ashamed but there will be a very strong arguments against you."

Damian looked away and considered it. Bruce's words did make sense to him, and he wasn't sure he was ready for such backlash. "I don't want to hide away Father. What would you suggest?"

"Get the rumor mill flowing. Let there be whispers that you two were seen together. Some witnesses saw you two kissing, but in a place you both would never be. Maybe Tim could come out publicly if he were comfortable with that of course. People might assume that because you're both interested in men..." Bruce tried to give a reassuring smile but it looked more like a grimace. "People will talk it out online. The arguments for and against you will be exhausted. So when you do finally confirm it, it was already in the works from months ago."

"To be fair Dami that doesn't sound like a bad plan. We're not in any rush right?" Tim nudged his shoulder and giggled.

"No, no I suppose we're not. I'm perfectly satisfied with our current arrangement." Damian kissed his cheek and resumed eating. "You're coming with me today though Timothy. We need to get our hair cut and I need nails to match my suit." Damian looked over his plain, unpainted nails with distaste.

"There nothing wrong with my hair." Tim retorted. Selena and Cassie just coughed awkwardly and avoided his eyes. "Fine, but the top stays long enough to sit in curtains, I tried a clean cut style and no one liked it."

"I liked it." Bruce said over his newspaper.

"Of course you liked it, it was the same as your hair. Bruce you've had the same haircut for 20 years you don't get an opinion on this." Selena mocked him and flicked his paper, illiciting a grunt.

"Damian, I don't want a rehash of last time. As amusing as the pink suit was, I'm sure it burnt some retinas. I know you don't like dress codes but are you at least keeping it themed?" Bruce looked accusingly at Damian who squirmed under his gaze.

"Father I assure you my tie will be mostly black." Damian looked away quickly and shovelled a mouthful of food into himself.

"Damian."

"Tt, fine. It's not a black tuxedo. It's a Dolce and Gabbana gold floral suit." Damian flushed under the heat of Bruce's scowl. "I look fantastic in it and I love the attention. No one will notice your criminal wife or pensioner cane."

Selena choked through a laugh and had to excuse herself. Cassandra and Tim both and their faces pressed into their palms.

Bruce pinched his nose exasperatedly. "A gold suit isn't at all regular. But I suppose it is in the holiday spirit."

"You know what I like to wear to these events. If you wanted me to stop you wouldn't keep inviting me to them. I have a fabulous grey and black number downstairs I could wear instead?" Bruce seemed to shut himself off and resumed reading his paper. Damian won this round.

"Gold eh?" Tim asked. "I'm going to look really basic in comparison."

"Gold and black. I thought gold and green was a little too demon's head."

Selena started laughing again causing Bruce to raise the newspaper well above his face.

* * *

Damian sped onto the empty street and pulled up outside Simon's Barbers. "He will absolutely know we're together. He knew I had boy trouble when I came here with Duke over Thanksgiving." Damian rounded the car and opened the door for Tim. "Simon's the best. I have a great deal of respect for his work."

"I usually just go to a cheap place. Or get Kon to do it." Tim said nonchalantly.

Damian adopted a horrified look, almost as if Tim had defecated on the sidewalk next to him. "Well one cut from Simon and you won't be able to go anywhere else. He's that good."

They entered the shop and Damian rang a little bell at the counter. Tim observed the shop while they waited. It was extremely modern, glass and copper fixtures and tight, barely-used leather seating area. The light was fluorescent and cold, but the shop somehow felt cosy. The art work was full of character and gave a personal touch to the shop. 

Various magazine covers were framed on another wall, Tim walked over and glanced over them, some A-list celebrities and singers. Then at the end was a gorgeous bronze-skinned boy smouldering into the camera. Thick brows, sharp jaw, full lips. His hair was tousled and styled to the millimetre, hanging perfectly onto his forehead. His finger lightly dragged on his lip in a way that invited the leering looks and attention Tim knew the boy coveted.

"I see you found my success stories." A tall bald man sidled up next to him and crossed his arms in contemplation. "I never did get Damian's hair as I wanted in that one, there's something slightly off and I've never been able to peg it."

"Ahh yes." Damian mimicked the dragging of his finger over his lip. "Coming out with a bang. Damian Wayne is kissing all the boys." Damian reeled off the magazine's title with a roll of his eyes. "I wish they didn't romanticise me like they did. I wasn't kissing all the boys at all, only a few. I'd been photographed being a little too liberal with my attentions. Resulting in this teenage, corny headline. If I'd have known they were calling it that I wouldn't have agreed to it."

"Fuck off Damian. We all know you walk in a room and get to pick whoever you want. Men fall at your feet on their knees." Simon chuckled and waved them over.

"No men on their knees in front of him but me." Tim quipped.

Damian whipped his head in shock and glowed bright red. "Timothy!"

"Ah so this is the boy you had trouble with." Simon nodded knowingly. "I'm Simon, Damian's personal barber, which means I've had to put up with him for nearly 8 years now." Tim shook Simon outstretched hand and introduced himself.

Damian plopped himself down on the cutting chair and allowed the cape to be draped over him. "I was expecting you" Simon started. "We can't have you looking shabby for the Gala. If anyone asks about your hair, be sure to point them my way."

Simon clipped up Damian's undercutted portion and began to shave a sharp line around his head. Tim watched on as the man whipped Damian's hair into it's usually perfection in no time at all. When he was done he gleefully slapped some alcohol on the bald parts, making Damian hiss and frown.

"So what am I doing for you today?" Simon asked as he ushered Tim into the chair.

Tim pressed his lips into a hard line and shook his hair in the mirror. "Uhh can you leave enough for my middle parting to sit kinda like it does now but take the length down. Umm and on the sides can you make them way shorter, but not so short you can see my scalp, I've got some burn marks on the back of my head I need to hide." Tim's mind flashed back to when his hair was singed clean off and painful burns covered most of his back, neck, and head.

"Sure thing. Do you want it as clean as possible, or can I dash a little of my flair on it." Simon ran his hands through Tim's over grown locks and got a feel for it.

"If Damian trusts you then I do too, add whatever flair you want." Tim giggled.

"And are you like Damian and wash your own hair before coming or do you want the full wash and cut treatment?"

Damian interjected. "He'll have the full experience. I want you to pamper him. Nothing less than the full works."

Simon looked pointedly at Tim for a confirmation. He nodded with a smirk and let Simon spin him round and dip his head back towards the sink.

After a frankly orgasmic wash and head massage, Simon applied a deep moisturising mask to Tim's head to leave in for a few minutes. In that time, Simon wandered off and brought back a pot of Earl grey tea.

He explained his life and how he'd been cutting hair for 33 years now. Simon told the story of how Damian helped put him on the map for his skills and now he is one of the worldwide premium hairdressers for celebrities and even royalty.

Once they finished their tea, Simon rinsed the mask off and began sheering off Tim's long strands. Tim couldn't help but reminisce about his hair with the Titans. He cut it all off a week before moving back but it had been so long. Below the shoulders long. It was convenient to just put up in a bun and not worry about until the fight was over.

Simon took him through step-by-step how to style it ready for the gala. He showed Tim how much putty to use, and how exactly to tame it into shape.

"I'll throw in some of that hair putty for free. Just because you're a better conversation that this one." Simon threw a thumb over his shoulder and smirked.

Tim marvelled at his new clean look. His curtains sat just a little above his ears and looked effortless. The back and sides were exactly as Tim asked. He turned his head and admired himself.

 _I look damn good. Damian better cum his pants on sight!_ Tim giggled to himself.

They thanked Simon and tipped at least 300% for his hospitality. They bundled back into Damian's Aston Martin. "I look so hot. How have you not jumped me by now like if a clone of me fell out of the multiverse looking like this? I'd fuck me."

"Tt, you look 100% fuckable darling. And I'd fuck possible future - evil Batman you as well." Damian gave him an overly slobbery kiss on the cheek and pulled off into the road. "Are you getting a manicure with me?"

Tim looked at his nails. The weren't extremely short, they were in fact quite grown out. His nails was not something Tim usually paid attention to. "I've never had my nails painted. Steph always wanted to but the only colour she had was purple. Eggplant or whatever isn't my colour."

Damian clicked his tongue. "You don't have to have them painted Timothy. You could have them just filed into a nice shape. You could have a clear polish put on them. Just because we're going to a nail salon, it doesn't mean you have to get clawed acrylic extentions."

* * *

The smell of a nail salon isn't something Tim was prepared for. It reeked of 'clean'. Every surface sparkled and gleamed in the bright light. The overwhelming smell of acetone made Tim wrinkled his nose a little.

Tim and Damian sat at workstations next to each other and held their hands out. Damian muttered his request and the small lady got to work. Tim's own nail technician was a young man, he looked no older than they boy he'd met a few nights ago at his and Damian's new date spot. He inspected Tim's nails and looks pleased that he had a long length to work with. 

"Umm can you just shape them nicely and take down the length a little. Not too rounded, can I have them that shape." Tim pointed to a little laminated sheet with different nail shapes. He chose what was aptly named 'squoval' because of it's blend of squared and oval. 

"Colour or clear polish?" The boy boomed in a deceptively deep voice for his age. 

Tim looked over at Damian who was picking his colours confidently. Tim threw caution to the wind and asked to see the colour selection. The boy brought out a colour wheel where Tim selected a high-shine black.

The boy worked quickly, Tim's nails were cut down to a neat length. Tim grimaced while his cuticles were pushed back. The feeling was odd and alien but not uncomfortable.

"So you decided on a colour?" Damian peeked over at Tim's hands over the UV lamp.

"Just black. I hope it doesn't look really goth or emo. What're you having?"

"Fully gold except my index and little finger. Those are painted black with a gold pattern that matches my suit." Damian nodded his head towards a patch of material on the table. "I brought an offcut of the fabric to copy exactly."

"Do you do this often?" Tim queried.

"I like painting my nails. I don't understand how it's only reserved for women when I can match my nails to my outfits and look cohesive. I haven't had them professionally done in a while because I wasn't sure how it'd look at work. But the women around the offices have full acrylics on so they can cope with my flashy nails at work for a two weeks." Damian admired his sparkling fingers under the lamp and grinned.

* * *

"Damn Tim!" Selena held his hand and swooned over his dark shiny nails. "They look great. How'd Damian coax you into this?"

"Damian didn't. He just suggested a clear coat, I wanted to try something different." Tim's cheeks burnt. 

"Good for you." Selena hugged his head and ruffled his new hair. "Did he pick up his suit?" 

"Yep. He also got some gold and black Versace underwear too. I though he was taking it too far then, but we hunted and he eventually found some gold socks too." Tim rolled his eyes remembering Damian jumping when they finally found a set after and hour and a half of shopping. 

"Yeah that's about right." Selena had a understanding look on her face. 

"Cass get everything?" Tim asked. He sipped the tea Selena had made and leaned on the breakfast bar. 

"She's gonna own it." Selena said gleefully. "We saw this dress and we nearly died because it was one of the first ones we looked at, but knew it was the one." 

"I'm actually looking forward to it. I didn't used to like these but I've got a feeling about this one. Who's performing again?" He asked.

"Apperently this band does it all. Although I doubt they can scream metal music." Selena chuckled at her own words. "Being serious I think it's meant to be a jazz type band. This is meant to be a holiday party after all, not completely snobby." 

Damian walked into the kitchen where Selena a Tim were having their evening chit-chat and kissed Tim's head. He wondered to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of water. "Are you two okay?" 

"Yeah Honey, you want to join us?" Selena waved at the teapot. 

"No thank you. I'm going to work out. I need to fill that suit out and that means squats." Damian brushed Tim's nose and walked off to the cave. Tim felt warm all of a sudden and wiggled in his seat.

* * *

Tim, Bruce and Selena were the first downstairs, dressed up and waiting on the others. Tim and Bruce were both wearing a traditional tuxedo, although Tim's wasn't pristine and new like Bruce's. He had to rummage around his wardrobe for an old one because he wanted to avoid the hastle of getting his newest one tailored. Tim had lost so much muscle mass that he could fit into a tux that he wore when he was 16. He looked the part despite his trouble. 

Cassandra twirled into the living room in a fitted simple black dress with graphite lace detailing around the bottom and over the bust. She held her black lace clutch bag to her waist and fiddled with the necklace she wore. 

"You look wonderful Cassie." Bruce smiled and patted her shoulder. 

"You look amazing. Don't anyone ask me when Dami will be ready. He shooed me out of his room and said to wait and see with the rest of you." Tim downed the last of his champagne and set his glass down. 

"Every time." Bruce huffed. "You know last year he made us an hour late to an event we were hosting." 

Tim chewed his laugh back. "Was this the time with the pink suit?" 

"No that was the Christmas gala of last year. No this was a summer charity event a couple of months before. He turned up in lemon yellow skintight trousers and a translucent blouse. His words were: 'It's hot outside and so am I.' The blouse would've been fine if it wasn't see through." Bruce gulped the last of his drink and growled. 

"You're not embarrassed of him are you?" The words slipped from Tim's mouth before his mental filter could block them. 

"Of course not Tim! I just wish he'd give us a heads up so we don't look so dark and formal next to him. Sometimes he'll actually wear a plain black suit to throw us off because we're expecting it." Bruce complained. "It's hard to explain but he makes it look like a rebellion against me when I actually applaud him for being so brave. But we're meant to be Gotham's family, if he wears lemon yellow, then maybe we should incorporate that too. He enjoys being a wild card for some reason. I don't know what happened to him. Its like after he came back to life he slowly became less rigid and formal. Now instead of collected, uptight and quite frankly boring. He's free, flamboyant and careless. It's nice to see but I have no idea where it came from."

"You realise he does it to fuck with you?" Selena interrupted. "He knows you're fine with what he wears, otherwise you'd actually stop hi-"

Selena's jaw dropped when Damian stepped into the room. The light shone brightly from the gold material. It fitted him precisely at every angle. His shoulders looked broad and strong. His behind was hugged and shaped and his package was offensively prominent. Tim was forced to bite his lip and repress his leering face. 

Damian wore his hair slicked back into a clean and neat style, his shining nails fiddled with the buttons. His freshly waxed eyebrows, courtesy of Simon, framed his smouldering eyes. Damian had somehow improved his already beautiful emeralds by curling his eye lashes and applying some mascara and gold eyeliner with the smallest flick at the corners.

 _If I wasn't in love before I would be now._ Tim gushed. 

Damian spun around and waved his hands theatrically. "I am sex appeal: embodied." He stated with a gravely serious tone. 

"Fuck off ya goof!" Tim stode across the room and pulled him down by his lapels to kiss him. "I wanna fuck you so hard. It's impossible to look this hot." Tim whispered, hoping no one picked it up. 

"Are we ready everyone?" Selena checked her phone and popped it back into her bag. Everyone nodded their agreement and they walked out to limousine waiting for them. 

* * *

"I'm reporting live from the red, or rather black carpet of the annual Wayne Enterprises Christmas Gala." The wide eyed reporter beamed into the camera. Behind her was a wall of photographers snapping photos of everyone who walked into the event. 

"The most exclusive event in Gotham, only the higher ups in the company, and public figures in Gotham get an invite. Just moments ago we saw our beloved Police Commissioner James Gordon and his adopted daughter Barbara. Every one is here and accounted for except for the family that makes this happen. We're expecting Bruce Wayne and his guests to arrive any minute."

The reporter smiled her fake smile and waited a beat before continuing. "We'll go back to our correspondant inside who's interviewing Wayne Enterprise's Lucius Fox, I'll bring you all the news as it happens for the biggest event of the year, outside of the Met Gala."

* * *

The limo pulled up to Gotham Plaza Hotel. The destination the Wayne's knew so well, all their events were held in the ballroom here, even since Bruce was a child. 

Bruce was the first to step out of the limousine, The driver helped Selena out rather than Bruce because of his compromised leg. The shutters and flashes brought an all too familiar ache to Tim's head. 

"Mr Wayne!" 

"Bruce!"

"Miss Kyle!" 

Reporters and journalists clammoured for attention. Selena brushed her hair aside and plastered a fake business smile on her features. Bruce waved to the cameras and rested on his cane while the press got their greedy fill of pictures. 

"Mr Wayne, does it make your colleagues uncomfortable that you bring a world class thief to events like these?"

Bruce smiled cheekily. "Well I do need a new watch and I know there are some expensive ones in there." 

Selena chipped in: "I prefer liberator of possessions." 

"Bruce, why the walking stick?" a reporter shoved their microphone at Bruce. 

"Another skiing accident, after so long I still can't get the hang of it. I've finally done some permanent damage." Bruce calmly answered. 

Cassandra was next to step out, the attention shifted from Bruce to Cass. Unlike the wedded pair, Cassandra didn't stop to answer questions, she let the press get their photos of her smiling faintly then proceeded to walk inside after Selena. 

"We can go out together?" Damian asked, he held Tim's hand lightly and brushed it with his thumb. 

"Nuh uh. I'm going out before you. I want to see the reaction from afar." Tim giggled and shuffled over to the door, he flicked his tongue over his teeth to check for the hundredth time that he had his partials in. "Wish me luck." 

"Mr Drake!" 

Tim was bombarded with flashes and mics being pointed towards him. He posed for the camera, unbuttoning his jacket and swiping quickly over his hair. He politely declined questions and stood at the hotel door but did not go in. 

The reporter not too far away resumed her broadcast. "Well that was the Waynes." she charmed into the camera. "Last to enter was Tim Drake, a close friend of the family and honorary Wayne, who hasn't attended an event like this in quite some time. Wait hold on he's waiting for someone. Turn the camera." 

At that moment Damian slid out of the car and waved to the press. His suit glittered and shined bright from the flashes. There were screams of shock, the throng of reporters begged for his attention. 

"Damian who are you wearing?" 

He grinned pleasantly and smoothed out his attention stealing outfit. "Dolce and Gabbana."

"Damian. Damian. Who's the mystery man you've been teasing?" 

Damian winked and glanced over at Tim longingly. He shook another reporters hand as they asked their burning question. 

"Damian, what's the inspiration behind your choice of outfit. Why do you never follow any dress codes?" 

Damian chuckled politely. "Why would I want to fit in?" 

The next reporter had collared him before he could decline. "Mr Wayne. Will you be wearing makeup more often like you are now?" The journalist's question was sincere and not in any way an attack. 

"Only for Special occations, besides it is only mascara and a little eyeliner." Damian declined all other questions and allowed some more photos to be taken before meeting Tim at the entrance. Tim shook his head and sighed, he opened the door for the golden man and pushed him through.

* * *

The ballroom was warm. It was inviting and helped put Tim at ease. No expenses were spared when it came to making the room theme appropriate. Black drapes were intertwined with green and red silk. The chandeliers were adorned with fake crystal snowflakes. Spineless pine trees painted white pulsed and glowed with light. At either side of the grand room, 20ft tall Christmas trees covered in every decoration you could think of stood tall and framed the room. The centerpieces for each table were wine red pansies, white helleborus' and some dogwood. Sprigs of holly and mistletoe were nestled between the flowers and bark. 

The band played some relaxing jazz from their center stage. The performers were young men, not much older than Tim, but were immensely talented and rose to the occasion. 

Bruce was talking to Lucius. He was actually smiling much to Tim's surprise. Damian led them over to the bar and greeted the starstuck bartender.

"What will you be having?" Damian asked, he ordered a vodka and cranberry blush cocktail for himself.

"I'll have what he's having." Tim notified he bartender who gave him a quick nod. "I can't get pissed tonight. I want to be standing at the end of the night."

Damian nudged Tim's shoulder with his own. "You're no fun. But I suppose you are right, I remember thanksgiving." Tim heated to the same red as the decorations. "We can't have you begging me to fuck you infront of everyone can we?"

"You're an asshole." Tim pursed his lips and thanked the man for his drink. He took a candy cane from the pot next to him and sucked the end

"I'm your asshole." Damian purred. He clinked his glass on Tim's and plucked the candy cane from Tim's mouth and popped it between his own lips.

* * *

After making chit-chat with some of his colleagues, Tim moved over the room to the table the Commissioner was sitting at. He had a distinct look of displeasure on his face, Barbara seemed to be scolding him. "Commissioner Gordon." Tim greeted.

"Re- Timothy." Jim corrected himself and coughed. He shook Tim's hand and apologsed with his eyes.

"Barbara how are you?" Tim bent down to hug her. She squeezed him back and muttered a hushed apology for Jim's slip up.

"It's been too long Tim." Barbara lied.

"I'm glad you could make it. I can't believe you both didn't get invited to these before. I made sure you got put on the list." Tim charmed.

"I wish you didn't." Jim grumbled under his breath. Barbara smacked his arm. 

"I'm sure the city could cope one evening without it's knight in shining armour." Tim looked round at Damian who was clearly bored of Bruce's old man colleagues. Jim must've followed his gaze, because he chuckled lightly and nodded. 

"I'm sure it can too."

Tim dragged his eyes back to Jim and smiled again. "I hope our donation reached you. We felt the need to pledge some new tech to make the GCPD airtight."

"With all due respect. I'd really rather not talk about work." Jim stated politely. 

"Of course. Forgive me. We never get a day off." Tim settled on the back of the free chair. "How have you two been?" 

After spending half an hour joking and laughing with Jim and Barbara, Tim waved his goodbye and spotted a familiar face sheepishly waiting for Bruce's attention on the edge of the hall. Tim stalked over and nudged the immovable object. "Clark." 

"Hi Tim. Good to see you're well and good after your umm car accident." Superman shifted and adjusted his glasses. He spotted Damian across the crowd and looked back at Tim for an explanation. 

"He doesn't like to fit in I hear." Tim locked his eyes with Damian's from across the room and raised his glass. Damian winked at him smooched his lips making Tim's heart flutter. Clark definitely would've heard. "Did Jon not tag along? I thought he was part time interning with you and Lois."

"No he's got homework that he didn't finish before school ended, so he's grounded until it's done. He did bitch to Damian about it but I heard and grounded him from hsi other job too. Perry sent me alone. Lois is banned from WE galas because last time she interviewed some of these guys she uncovered a corruption plot." Clark huffed amusedly.

"Do you want me to free Bruce so you can swoop in for your statement?" Clark pressed his lips together and nodded. "You owe me one. I'll be stuck with 'em for the next half an hour." 

Tim patted Bruce's shoulder and greeted the guests with over enthusiasm allowing Bruce to slip away with Clark.

* * *

The night wound down eventually. Guests started to leave and drift off back home after eating all the hors d'oeuvres and drinking themselves into a state. Many socialites were being hauled up by their drivers or were forced to sip water to dilute the champagne they'd guzzled. Even the overpaid higher ups wouldn't refuse a massive helping of free booze courtesy of the company.

Tim said his goodbyes to Lucius and turned around to face the thin crowd. Tim politley asked the band to play something slow and went to steal Damian away from Cass.

"May I have this dance Mr Wayne?" Tim held out his hand. 

Cassandra rolled her eyes and nudged him forward. He took Tim's hand and kissed his knuckles. "Of course Mr Drake. I was waiting for you to come over."

He lead Damian to the middle of the floor and let himself be spun by Damian. They came together, he gently cupped Tim's hand and held him tight. They swayed to the music and looked deep into each others eyes, focusing solely on one another. "Are you not worried about people seeing us?" Damian asked.

"I don't care. We haven't had a dance tonight and I didn't wanna miss out."

Damian pulled Tim closer and closed his eyes. "I love you. Maybe next year we can walk in here arm in arm."

"Maybe. I love you too." Tim closed his own eyes and fell into Damian's chest, not missing a step. Damian was warm and smelled like vodka and his trusted fragrance. Tim breathed it in and felt the ballroom melt away. The press, the socialites, the judging eyes all faded away until it was only him, Damian and the music. 

Bruce watched on as the pair swayed and clutched each other like they'd never let go. A proud grin spread across his face. They had never been so happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this universe Selena isnt some mass murderer, she's just a master thief and occasional vigilante. I'm keeping her father as Rex Calabrese because it gives me leverage in the storytelling sense. 
> 
> Also, let's talk Barbara. I know that past new 52 Jim is in fact Barbara's dad, and before that it was revealed that she's biologically Jim's but was legally his brother child... Im ignoring that. Here, Barbaras parents died and Jim adopted her at a fairly young age. It will be important later
> 
> Everyone must see Damian's suit. I saw this online and immediately thought Damian so I worked it in:
> 
> https://www.farfetch.com/uk/shopping/men/dolce-gabbana-floral-brocade-two-piece-suit-item-14086432.aspx?


	40. A Statement By Bruce Wayne and Timothy Drake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'They can't see my colour and love me for it. They hate me for it instead.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:  
> Racism and homophobia.

"I think that's all Tim. Thanks for coming in." Lucius collected his papers and shook Tim's hand.

"What's a couple of hours? It would've nagged me until we come back anyway." Tim patted the back of his arm and rose from his desk.

"There is a kitchen area in the common room on this floor right? I need to make a coffee for the drive home." Lucius questioned.

Tim cursed himself for not getting his own coffee machine replaced. It wasn't for lack of asking though. "Yeah. Lemme get my bag and I'll walk out with you." Tim shoved his phone and laptop into his messenger back and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go."

They conversed while they walked down the long corridor to the common room, Lucius asked about Dick, and Tim queried about Tam and her career. 

Tim thought of the common area as more as an old gentleman's club. It was only used by the uptight directors who had worked at WE longer than Tim had been alive, they had a tenure at WE because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it were legal, Tim was sure they would drink scotch and smoke cigars stereotypically in the room.

Tim heard some voices from the doorway and sighed, he'd have hoped they'd be alone and not get sucked into a too-polite conversation. "Did you see Bruce's kid?" One man said. 

Tim held his hand up and halted Lucius at the door. By now he was used to Tim's odd behaviour so he didn't question it. Instead he leaned forward to listen in too. 

"What Wayne's faggot? Parading himself around with his nails and makeup." The second man spat. Tim clenched fist and looked at Lucius. He signalled for Tim to wait before acting. "Bruce should've slapped that out of him when he started. The damn kid has been a brat since he came here, Bruce can't even get that one to follow a dress code. It's embarrassing for the company, we're meant to represent the classic ideals of Gotham." There were hums of acknowledgement from the first man. "You ask me when that little shit turned up on his doorstep Bruce shoulda sent it right back to the desert."

The first man scoffed "The other one is just as bad. The Drake kid. I knew Jack Drake, he'd be turning in his grave if he saw his boy painting his nails. He would've keeled over with a heart attack if he found out his son was a fag."

Tim had had enough, his blood was at boiling point. He went to storm in but Lucius held him back. "I know how you deal with bigots and racists, and violence isn't it." They walked in on the two splayed over the seats and muttering about something. Tim felt sick to his stomach but followed Lucius' lead. He swallowed down his rage and voided his body of emotion. "Now I'm going to ask you two to say that again. But you get a choice. You can say it in front of a camera at a press conference. Or you can say it to Bruce Wayne." Lucius waved his phone at them. 

"Boss we dunno what you're talking about-" the first man stuttered but shut up when Lucius held a finger up to him.

Lucius then slowly pointed to different corners of the room. "So you're telling me that my security cameras with a very high audio capability will prove that you said nothing?"

Tim's colleagues looked at each other in panic. Their mouths flapped trying to shit out whatever new excuse they had concocted. Tim looked at them with utter disgust, he'd been drinking and laughing with these men at the gala not two days before. They shook his hand with his painted nails as they told him what an asset he was.

"Look we're sorry. It's a joke. We were just having a laugh." 

"Don't you even dare." Lucius boomed. "You think you can tell me, a black man who's experienced discrimination from birth that it's a joke? You're sitting in my company lounge, and you dare to sit and lie to me? I've invited you both into my home, and you speak about people in that vile way? You make me sick." Lucius dialled his phone. "Now sit. You're going to tell Bruce exactly what you just said about Tim and Damian."

Tim listened to the cruel words again as they recounted it over the phone word for word. Bruce growled and huffed occasionally but said nothing at all. Tim sensed the line between Bruce Wayne and Batman had blurred, even disappeared. They finished and begged for another chance. They begged for their jobs.

"Enough!" Bruce snapped. "I am going to make sure you never work again. You will get the entirety of your severance check and you will not try sue me when I make a statement recounting this exact recorded conversation. Do you understand?"

"Bruce come on-" 

"That's Mr Wayne to you. If I knew you were saying these things about my son who's sitting next to me right now I would've fired you years ago. You digsust me and I'm ashamed you were ever a part of my company. What do you two know about Gotham and its classic ideas?" Bruce snarled. "Gotham has always been been a haven for immigrants and people of every type. Gotham is a place where you can be anyone. What you can't be is vile scum that wants to stamp on that. Get your things and get out of my building today. Or I'll find a use for thsoe old decommissioned Batman Incorporated robots."

"We understand." The pair said in unison. 

Tim walked over to Mr Dixon. The man who said the vile things about Damian and threw his fist into the man's face. His nose ruptured and sheeted blood down onto his shirt. It pained Tim to have to pull his punch but it got the message across. He could ignore what Mr Ethers said about him for now, but Dixon's attack on Damian was unforgivable. 

* * *

Lucius told them to clear our quickly before leading Tim out of the building. Lucius squeezed his shoulder as a goodbye and drove off home. 

_How could they say that? Why is anyone like that? They were mentors. Colleagues. God I hope Damian is okay._

Tim came off the road and drove up to the Manor. He locked his car and stepped into the warmth. He felt nothing, it was like he was empty. He plopped down next to Bruce, who was brooding by the fire. 

"Is he okay?" 

Bruce nodded solemnly. "He's in the cave training. He listened to the call then stormed off."

Tim rested his head on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce combed through his hair like he used to when Tim was young. Tim fought, he fought back his needless tears but they erupted from his eyes despite his struggle. Bruce cradled him, wrapping his strong arms around Tim's small frame and clutched him to his chest. 

"He wouldn't hate me would he? Dad wouldn't-" Tim sobbed. 

Bruce hushed him and rocked him gently. "Jack would've been so proud of you Tim. He was always proud of you." 

"I didn't know who I was back then Bruce. What if he would've hated that I was gay?" Tim curled up and shuddered. 

Bruce didn't know how to answer him, there wasn't an true answer. Jack Drake took it to the grave with him. "I can't tell you he would've accepted you, because I don't know that Tim. We'll never know. But he loved you so much, he loved you enough to not stand in the way of you being Robin. I'm sure he'd have loved you just the same if you told him you were gay."

Tim sighed and righted himself on the couch next to Bruce. He pressed his palms hard into his eyes until he saw stars. "I'm sorry. I'm stupid, this is all just stupid. I shouldn't feel sorry for myself like this. It just- it still hurts that my mom and dad and even Dana didn't get to see who I've become."

"It's not feeling sorry for yourself. I think all the time about what my parents would've thought about me and my decisions." Bruce peeled Tim's palm from his eyes and held his hand tight. "For what it's worth I'm proud of you. Everyone who's ever got the privilege to know you properly is proud of who you are."

Tim fell back into the pillows and sniffled. "Thanks Bruce. I know you'd prefer not to have us weep on you." He sniffed again over his laugh. 

"Tim I'm your parent. Maybe not by blood but you've been mine fully for 6 years now. I'm here whenever you need me. Whether you're crying or jumping with joy. I'm here." 

* * *

"Holy sweat glands Batman." Tim joked. Damian was training furiously, the practice dummy was being beaten to a pulp by his staff. Sweat poured of his bare body. Tim saw the discarded vest and joggers, Damian just worked in a pair of gym shorts. Tim had wiped his teary face when he left Bruce but his eyes were still puffy and bloodshot. He flashed a smile at Damian who beamed brightly back at him. 

"Are you okay handsome?" Damian tilted Tim's chin up and looked into his glassy arctic eyes. 

Tim's brow knitted in confusion. _Most of the slander was aimed at him, how's he so cool about it?_

He closed the gap between them and pressed a brief kiss on Damian. "I wasn't, I guess what they said about my dad hit a nerve. Are you okay? Those fucks said some horrible things about you."

"Pansy. Faggot. Twinkle toes." Damian threw a batatrang at the target. "Sand kisser. Rag head. Terrorist." He replaced the staff he was using and hung up his bow. "Being gay and being Arab means I get called names like that anywhere I go. You Americans can be very creative. I get called names online. I get called names in the street. I had it in school, and apparently I get it at work now too. Not just names either, it's threats and calling me shameful and a disgrace. It's not new to me Tim. It's part of my life."

Tim looked on with sympathy. He had seen the hate online but Damian never mentioned experiencing it in school or on the street. "Dami, I don't know what to say. I never want to feel like that again. I'm lucky I've never had anything like that before. I think a part of me was crying for you, because it's so disgusting how they see you. They'll never know you like we do."

"Don't say anything Timothy. As a child I was taught to rise above such things. People can be very shortsighted Timothy, they can't see my colour and love me for it. They hate me for it instead." Damian sauntered over and lifted Tim into the air. "I'm a big boy. I can deal with bullies. Their justice has been served, I'm content. They don't berate me like Talia used to."

Tim giggled as Damian pressed his weak spot and tickled him mid air. He squirmed in his arms and only broke the assault by kicking Damian in the ribs. He lowered Tim down and hugged him. "Dami, you're all sweaty. My suit!"

"Dear oh dear Timothy. We'd best get you out of it then."

* * *

Tim nudged through Bruce's office door and coughed his entrance. Bruce grunted and carried on typing. Tim took this as confirmation to enter and he sat on the opposite side of Bruce's desk. "Damian's okay." Tim said after a few minutes of silence. Bruce hadn't looked up at Tim at all since he entered.

"I know. I heard you two giggling and rushing to your room. I trust you used protection." Bruce reached into his desk and placed a pack of condoms on the surface, all without looking away from the screen.

"Bruuuce." Tim whined.

 _Please don't start Bruce. Why does he even have them in his office desk?_ Tim begged in his mind. 

"I know I can't stop you. As long as you're safe and I can't hear it then it's okay. I learned that the hard way. Dick used to sneak Barbara in. I'm sure Duke used to let Isabella climb through his window. You and Steph would disappear after coming back from patrol. I don't see why you all hide it, you were all old enough. Maybe not you and Steph but I remembered the ordeal you had with Ariana and knew you'd be responsible enough to not do anything stupi-"

_Oh god stop!_

"Bruce!" Tim snapped. He tore his face away from the screen to see Tim pointing at his wet hair. "It was just a shower. I don't need 'the talk' again. I got that from Dad, you, Alfred and Ma Kent when she thought me and Kon were a thing."

Bruce mouthed and 'oh' and cleared his throat. "Sorry for that. What I said still stands though."

"Can you fucking put those away please." The condoms stared accusingly at Tim from the table. As if they knew Damian prefers not to have them used with him. "I have those B. I'm not 15. Also, I was not having sex with Steph! People usually hide it from you because they really don't need this talk from you."

"Did you have a reason for coming in?" Bruce slid the condoms back into his desk and pulled his good decanter of whiskey from the shelf behind him with two glasses.

"I did want to tell you Damian was okay then you started-" Tim shuddered and cringed. "What are you working on? Tim changed the subject and prayed Bruce wouldn't revisit it.

Bruce poured two fingers of drink into the tumblers and placed the glass into Tim's outstretched hand. "A statement to go on the website. It's nearly done but it's feel too corporate. Aside from the quotes of what Mr Dixon and Ethers said and the attached phone call audio, there's not much weight behind it. Our equality and diversity policy is already pretty comprehensive but it all feels hollow. I wish I could've known. I hate bigots."

"What. Uhh what if I wrote you a statement. You yourself said maybe coming out could help with mine and Damian's situation. If I have some words to say on the ordeal then it'll resonate better." Tim swigged his drink and curled up into the chair.

"Are you sure?" Bruce removed his glasses.

"Yeah I mean. I am gay, and they said that Dad would've died if he found out. If you want weight, there it is."

_No turning back now._

"Okay then. How about I write my half about Damian. He's written a statement for me and I've typed up a few paragraphs about my personal views on it. Then you could write up the next half about you and why it's important we take an even harder stance on this. I'm straight Tim, I shouldn't be leading the charge on this, I should be by your side while you lead as an ally."

Tim nodded enthusiastically and shuffled his chair around to Bruce's side of the desk. They worked all afternoon right into the evening. After reading then reading again to be sure it sounded right and was free of mistakes they sent it to be published it as the front page of the WE website:

' **Absolute zero tolerance to discrimination.**

 **A statement by Bruce Wayne and Timothy Drake**.'

* * *

After dinner the household gathered in the living room to watch Love Actually. Tim and Selena had insisted that this was the Christmas movie they needed to watch. Bruce and Cassandra both complained but when Damian said he'd never seen it, it sealed the deal.

When the credits rolled Damian let out a long yawn. "I throughly enjoyed that." 

Selena poked his cheek. "Love Actually is THE Christmas movie. It's impossible to hate." 

"Not to worry. I'm sure Father will rope us into watching a black and white film sometime soon." Damian quipped. 

Tim rubbed his eyes. "You ready for bed Dami. I sure am." 

"Actually Timothy. I have something relaxing planned for us tonight before bed if you want." He stood and held his hand out for Tim, who took it eagerly. "I'm commandeering the shared bathroom tonight."

"Don't touch my body scrub." Selena waved them off. 

* * *

"So why the shared bathroom?" Tim asked while he pulled his pants down like he was asked too. 

"You will see in a minute or two. I'm going to get it ready." Damian rushed out of the room and down the hall to his own. Tim watched him enter the bathroom next to Duke's room with a small box in hand. 

_What is he up to?_

Damian returned to the room and stripped off like Tim. He wrapped the towel around his waist and draped his and Tim's bathrobes over his arm. Tim followed him out, and stood outside the door waiting. The cold hallway pickled his skin and made goose bumps appear. "I do remember you saying you liked the smell of cherries correct? Because if not then I've severely fucked up."

Damian swung the door open and revealed a dimmed bathroom, lit up with dozens of cherry scented candles. The smell was heaven in Tim's nose, he breathed the air deep and savoured one of his favourite scents.

"When did Bruce get that installed?" Tim marvelled at the huge jetted tub that was still filling up. Bruce used to have a sizeable claw foot tub but this could surely be classified as a pool. The bubbles broke softly of the surface in a steady stream. 

Damian dropped his towel and tugged Tim's away. They stepped into the tub and laid next to each other amongst the bubbles. Tim squirmed and readjusted himself, causing Damian to look puzzled at him. "The jet was right under my balls, it was tickling." Tim confessed with a chuckle. Damian laughed and flung some water his way. "I love this Dami, thank you." Tim kissed his boyfriend with wet lips and settled in under his outstretched arm. Damian flicked the tap off with his toes and squashed Tim in tighter.

"I'm so proud of you for coming out in spite of the shitty situation."

Tim shrugged and waved his arm through the water. "Some good had to come of it. It feels weird. Good. I can't really describe it. It's definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders, it was time I embrace who I am publicly."

They stayed in the bath until they were starting to wrinkle and the water was lukewarm. They slipped into their robes, Tim carried a few candles over to their room while Damian cleaned up the bathroom. When he returned Tim was rummaging through his drawers for clothes.

"No, no, no Timothy. No clothes just yet. Go and lay on the bed for me." Tim obliged. He rolled up the duvet and sprawled himself out on the sheets naked. Damian insisted they weren't having sex tonight so he was confused as to what he had planned. Damian jiggled a bottle of massage oil and tossed it between his hands.

"Damian!" Tim blushed. "Why am I being pampered tonight?"

He crawled up the sheets and hovered his body over Tim's. "Because I love you and I want to take care of you. Sometimes I feel like we get held up on the sex and forget that intimacy and loving isn't sticking our penises in each other."

Tim guffawed. "What an intimate way to put it."

Damian pecked Tim's lips. "Roll over handsome."

Tim rolled over and let Damian explore his body. His nimble hands groped and caressed from his fingers down to his rear. The massage oil was cool and tingled when it dropped onto his spine. It smelled fresh and fruity. Damian spread it over Tim's slim back and kneaded his muscles. The tension was teased and rubbed right out of Tim, he closed his eyes and let himself fall into a blissful state of calm.

Damian traced up each arm and worked the tightness from them. In his hypersensitive state, Tim felt every glancing touch every breath Damian took. It tingled and rippled through him like a warm shiver. Each sense was heightened to its peak. 

"Time to roll over Tim." Damian whispered. 

Tim flopped over and looked up sleepily. "You're really good at this." 

"I watched some videos, read some books. I also know which pressure points to stimulate for relaxation." Damian dribbled some oil onto Tim's chest and rubbed over his pecs and shoulders. He took each arm and kissed Tim's fingers and wrist while he smoothed over the muscles under Tim's soft pale skin. "Just relax my love. It's all about you."

Tim felt as though he was being catalogued. Tim could feel that Damian paid attention to everywhere on his body, he paid attention to every inch of skin, every scar, every mole, every strand of hair that graced Tim's body and committed it to his memory. It made him feel special in a way only Damian could, like he was the only man in the world worth treating like this. 

He sat at the end of the bed and placed Tim's leg over his. His hands worked down his thighs and calves. He smoothed over Tim's legs hair and began his work on Tim's feet. 

"Hey Dami." Tim said innocently. Damian hummed and continued to press his fingers into the sole of Tim's foot. "Do you have a foot fetish?" 

"No. What makes you ask that?" Damian replied calmly. 

"Well the other week you licked and sucked my foot, and now you're paying particular attention to them." Tim flushed red, he regretted saying anything. The last thing he wanted to do was call Damian out on something harmless. 

"I love all of you Timothy. I know some people have an aversion to feet and I could understand if they looked unsightly or were not cared for. But your feet are pretty and just another beautiful part of you that I wish to cherish. If you don't like it then I will stop."

"No!" Tim said all too quickly. "It feels good don't ever stop. I just wanted to ask if you had a real fetish for feet. If you did, I'd have to go get a proper pedicure and maybe dunk them in those bowls of fish. I'd also rather that then you start humping my armpit or fingering my nose."

Damian laughed hard and kissed Tim's arch. "All of you is perfect. And I'm not going to hump your armpit."

Once Damian was finished Tim had turned to complete jelly. He'd been reduced to a sleepy molten mess that couldn't bring himself to budge when Damian asked him to shuffle over so he could get into bed. "What have you done? I don't think I've been so relaxed since birth."

"I'm glad you liked it." Damian kissed Tim's nose and laid his head down. Tim curled round him and pressed their unclothed skin together. He quickly fell into the best sleep he'd had in years. 

* * *

Tim woke at midday. He was raring to go and felt electric. He could not quite believe that he'd slept for 14 hours. Damian had made him a smoothie accompanied by a note:

An energy boost for my sleeping beauty. I trust you can wake up unaided but I do require a true loves kiss when you come downstairs as a thank you. - D

Tim rolled his eyes and stretched under the covers. His body was limber and didn't crack and pop like cereal, as it would most mornings. He ran his fingers over his soft and smooth torso.

 _That massage oil did wonders,_ He marvelled.

He rolled out of bed and picked some lounge clothes from his drawers. He made sure to place the note in his new and bigger box. Tim shrugged on his fluffy robe and took his smoothie with him downstairs.

"Morning my Prince Charming." Tim knelt next to Damian and gave him his true loves kiss. "I can't say I've ever been called Sleeping Beauty before but I could get used to it."

Damian placed a few baubles on the Christmas tree and giggled. "That massage worked too well. I tried to wake you up but you didn't even stir. Have you checked Twitter this morning Timothy?"

Tim adjusted himself to let Titus lay across him. "No. Should I have?"

"We're trending. All of us and the company." Damian tickled Titus' belly. "The support is tremendous. I have already posted on Instagram about it but people are blowing up Twitter worrying about you. People haven't taken kindly to the statements about your father."

"I'll have to tweet something later." Tim picked a candy cane off the tree and fumbled to unwrap it. "Didn't we used to get real trees?"

"Grandfather got tired of vacuuming the spines so we brought a few expensive real looking ones." Damian flicked the plastic branch and replaced the candy cane Tim stole. "This holiday is so overdone but i suppose it does afford us the opportunity to spend time with everyone."

"Hello! I'm home!" Duke waddled through the living room door and dropped his bags. He rubbed his hands together and blew hot air into them. "Tim. Batman." He greeted. Damian threw a candy cane at him which he caught with ease. "I knew that was coming you idiot."

Tim shuffled out from under Titus' weight and hugged Duke tight. Damian was next, being dragged into an embrace by Duke who messed up his hair. "Are you two okay? I woke up to the statement this morning."

"We're good." Tim intertwined his fingers with Damian's and smiled bright.

"Duke!" Bruce hobbled in and clapped his hand on Duke's shoulder. "It's good to see you son."

They caught up with Duke for the next hour. They reassured him that the Jokerz situation was handled and he didn't need to feel guilty that he wasn't there. Duke was in the middle of telling a story about his roommates when the door bell rang. The group shared a confused look, they were not expecting anyone else or Christmas present deliveries.

Tim hopped up and waved them back to their conversation. The cold air bit and scratched at Tim when he opened the door. He flinched and hissed away. 

"Umm is Bruce in?" Jason looked shyly down into his hands. His fur collar was pulled up around his neck, further hiding him away. 

"Jay! We didn't think you'd come. You want me to go get him?" Jason nodded and Tim called out for Bruce. 

Jason didn't lookup at the click-click of Bruce's walking stick and didn't look up when Bruce waited patiently for him to speak. "Am I allowed in? To y'know, stay over the holidays." 

Bruce picked up one of Jason's bags. "Of course, this is home. Now get in out of the cold." Jason lifted his head and let a phantom smile cross his mouth. "Damian, can you make another pot of tea. We've all got some catching up to do." 

* * *

Jason warmed up quickly. Not just to the heat but the the environment. The tension with Bruce faded quick too. In no time at all him and Bruce were laughing more than they had in years. Duke continued to talk of his college exploits. Cassandra listened intently while stroking one of Selena's cats: 'Pepper'. Tim was curled up on Damians lap near the fire with Titus laying over both of them. If a stranger walked in, they would've looked perfectly normal. 

"I did some recon for you two." Jason pointed at Tim and Damian. "Those two fucks left Gotham in the night. They both took their families and ran." 

"Good." Cassandra chimed in, her first word spoken today. 

"Enough about them. Today's a good day." Bruce sipped his tea and swerved the conversation. "Are we expecting Stephanie over the holiday?" 

"She's been texting me all morning. She's got a shift Christmas eve and is spending Christmas day with her mom so I asked her to come up boxing day." Tim flipped over his phone and slid away another hundred or so notifications. "Harper wished us happy holidays but is keeping it just her and Cullen this year."

"With Richard staying until the 27th, we are going to have a full house on boxing day." Damian shook his head. "Expexting chaos."

* * *

Everyone had turned in for the night save Jason. He sat perched on his regular smoking wall and took in the night. He'd gone the entire day with neither him nor Bruce butting heads. It was a relief, for so long Jason had isolated himself away from Bruce, his father. Ever since he nearly died in the Jokerz crisis he was different. 

Jason remembered the day as if it had happened minutes ago. He was dropped off at the cave with Cass, but the second he helped her to the med bay he went cold. Bruce's battered, burnt and broken body was occupying the cot. Jason had broke inside. Despite all the times they'd fought, Jason still cared. He would never want to see the man who raised him dead. Jason was in the middle of pouring his heart out, when Bruce's wet eyes looked back at him. All it took was a near death experience for Bruce to finally listen to Jason and hear him out without interrupting. Not knowing what to do, Jason still avoided Bruce. He wasn't going to hang off him like he would when he was 15.

"You alright Jay?" Tim whispered from behind him and popped down on the wall next to him. 

"Mmm I should be asking you that. I had to hold myself back and not beat those guys' heads in infront of their families." 

"I'm fine. I wasn't but Bruce talked some sense into me." Tim huddled in. 

"Do you always try and wait up for Damian?" 

"Some nights I don't. I'm not tired anyway. Damian pampered me last night and I ended up sleeping nearly 15 hours." 

Jason scoffed. "I don't get pampered."

"You don't have a partner like mine." Tim chuckled. "Speaking of which, how's Miguel, Jay? 

Jason coughed in cigarette smoke and stuttered. "He's fine. We text now and again. We ain't together, quit prying you little shit."

"I was only asking. I'm going back to the tower in the new year, did you want me to give him anything, pass on a message?" 

"I can talk to him myself if I wanted to. Leave it." Jason snapped. Tim shut up and left it alone. Jason went stiff next to him and took a few minutes to relax. "Look I'm not ashamed of having sex with him at all, it's just I'm figuring stuff out, I promise I'll tell you, I'm just not ready yet. How do you and demon have it so figured out? You make it look so easy."

"You know Jay, I get asked that every time we tell anyone. We spent so much time away from each other. I never hated him, I always pushed and tried to find common ground. Maybe I pushed too hard and that's why he retaliated. Damian said that I wasn't the enemy, but a role model he could never live up to. The time apart allowed us to grow up. I came back here with a fresh mind ready for a new start. Damian wasn't angry anymore and he'd grown up. Take the anger and shit away and put us together, we found eachother really attractive, our personalites work really well together. It was easy to figure out, nothing was standing in our way. Its going to be a shit storm when we tell people. I don't want to make a mockery of other adoptive and fostered families, they see each other as real siblings, I see you as a real sibling even though Bruce just took me in, nothing more. Damian was never and would never be like a brother to me. I just can't help the way I feel. I hope people get that you know?"

Jason slumped and flicked his cigarette away. Tim patted his shoulder. "Whatever you've got going on. You'll figure it out, and I'll promise I'll help you if you ask me to. Me, Dami, Duke, any one of us. We're all here for you." 

"You're a soppy fucker ain't ya?" Jason snorted.

"I'm serious Jason. You remember what you said: we don't judge each other." Tim wrapped his arm around Jason's hulking frame. "I love Dick, but you're always the brother I imagined having when I was little. Giving me shit but doing anything for me when I'm hurt."

"Stop." Jason squeaked. Tim retreated his arm and sat up straight away from Jason. "Stop or you'll make me cry. I don't like crying. If I end up bawling in these next few days I'll leave." Jason's voice was shaky. 

"Damian has a funny mole on his left asscheek." 

Jason burst into laugher, "where the fuck did that come from?" 

"You didn't want to cry so I thought I'd try and make you laugh." Tim shrugged. 

Jason held his face and groaned. Tears were rolling down each cheek and he couldn't hide it. "Fuck. This doesn't c-count." He cried into his hands while Tim rubbed his shoulder. "Don't tell anyone." Jay said in a rough voice. 

"I won't. I promise." Tim looked into the sky, white started to drift down. Tim caught a snowflake in his hand and watched it melt. "Jay look. It'll be a white Christmas in Gotham this year. We didn't even need to bust any coke dealers."

Jason cackled and looked up into the air with his reddened eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is a good dad and I stand by that despite what DC is doing right now.
> 
> What I wanted to highlight here. Is that racism and homophobia is still massively prevalent. Especially in big corporations where its run by stuffy white men and they only add a pride flag during pride month to increase sales. My dc world has to feel lived in, for the good and the bad. 
> 
> Also, you know that when Damian first started popping up there would've been chatter about his race. Public figures like Bruce and Jack are always expected to have cishet kids that conform to every societal expectation. 
> 
> It's odd how when someone grows up surrounded by racism and experiences it daily, can become so desensitised to it. Black and other ethnic minorities are some of the strongest people in the world, they get abused for something as simple as colour or culture and still find the strength to persevere and rise above it.
> 
> Mr Dixon is in no way meant to be representative of Chuck Dixon who wrote multiple bat titles. Chuck Dixon is actually one of my favourite writers, the name is one I simply picked out of thin air.


	41. Christmas - part 1 (smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An entire chapter spilt over 4 small parts.
> 
> The arrangement is  
> Smut-story-smut-story

"Wake up Dami it's Christmas." Tim shook their bed like a child and jolted Damian from his slumber.

"Tt. You're such a baby." Damian rubbed his eyes and reached out for Tim. 

Tim straddled Damian and squished his cheeks between his hands "For once I'm excited about Christmas. Don't be a moody old fart."

"Timothy I'm not a moody old fart, it's 6am and I've only just woke up. Could I have a moment please." Damian caressed the man's waist and brought him down into a long loving kiss. Tim laid atop of him until he was satisfied Damian was awake enough. He began to thrust his hips down and make his intention clear.

"I've got something in mind that'll wake you up." Tim chomped down on Damian's collarbone and sunk his teeth in deep. Damian hissed at the pain and dug his nails into Tim's waist.

"Okay I'm awake now handsome. What do you have in mind?" Damian shook himself awake, unable to resist Tim's advances. 

Tim hopped up and ripped the duvet from Damian's body. He eyed Damian's soft cock with hunger. "Can't believe you're not hard for me yet. Do I not turn you on Damian?" Tim mocked him and squeezed the base of Damian's cock too hard. "Am I not sexy enough?"

"You do turn me on. You're more than sexy enough. I want you." Damian squirmed around Tim's grip. Blood rushed south and transformed Damian's small soft cock into the magnificent girthy length Tim loved in seconds.

"How much do you love me?" Tim put on his best puppy dog eyes.

"I think you're holding a pretty accurate measurement." Damian quipped. 

Tim laughed and began to pump the organ in his hand. "I want to try that new sleeve I picked up." He lunged over the bed and retrieved the clear masturbation sleeve and some lube. "Look at the texture in there."

He let Damian admire the small device while he drizzled the lube carelessly over Damian. It was a very stretchy clear silicone toy. It had a loop to use as a hand holder. The inside of the narrow tube was lined with small bumps and folds. "Mmm you want to use it on me or should I use it on you?"

Tim shook his head with a devious smile. He straddled over Damian's legs. He stroked over both of their dicks with his slender hand. "I'm sure it'll fit us both at a stretch."

He slid the sleeve over Damian. He grunted and jerked his hips under Tim, the tightness overwhelmed his sleepy brain. He dug his nails into Tim's thighs and whined. 'Fuck' was all he could stutter. Tim positioned himself at the base of the sleeve and thrust up into it, stretching the silicone to its limit. Tim groaned loudly, unable to stifle it. The spikes and folds were an entirely new sensation for him. 

Damian writhed under Tim. A hot flush covered his cheeks all the way down to his chest. Tim's hands rested gently on his own, he looked up with leering eyes, begging Tim to move again. Tim held his hands and brought them down to their trapped lengths. "You move this."

Damian nodded and held their cocks between both his hands, he glided the sleeve over them slowly, torturously. Tim's hands trailed up and down Damian's torso, he thumbed over his nipples and worked them until the were hard and begging. He pinched them between his shining black nails and reveled in the way Damian helplessly tried to use his shoulders to move his hands.

"Tim." Damian moaned too-loud. "Tim I can't." his eyes rolled back in ecstasy before he could finish his sentence. Tim was grinding his hips into the sleeve, meeting Damian's erratic movements.

"I know. I know you're close." Tim whimpered. Damian sped up and humped into the silicone. With a shriek he erputed a fountain of cum. The warm seed splattered over his torso and oozed into the sleeve. He stopped pumping and panted to catch his breath. "Why'd you stop?" Tim frowned. 

Damian pleaded with his watery eyes. He slowly worked their dicks again and whined at the over stimulation. Tim stopped thrusting his hips and made Damian over work himself way over the edge. "Tim please cum." Damian squeezed his eyes shut. His legs were shaking and tears were dripping down to his ears. "Please cum, I can't take it."

"Of course you can. Now make me cum!" Tim boomed.

With renewed vigor, Damian furiously jerked then together. He cried and whined needily. His dick was red and throbbing. Tim fucked the sleeve with all the energy he had. Before long, he came with an almighy moan and shot jets of hot cum all the way up to Damian's jaw.

Damian panted a writhed helplessly as Tim pulled them out of the slick tightness. Tim laid next to him and kissed his shoulder delicately. "Did I go too far?"

"No." Damian said breathily. "That was euphoric. My penis is thoroughly wrecked though."

"You better recover quick. I'm gonna ride you hard tonight." Tim ran his finger their mixed seed and scooped some up. He dropped it into his mouth.

"For someone who didn't have a lot of sex before our relationship, you truly are an amazingly sexual being." Damian accepted the finger of cum being prodded at his lips. He sucked Tim's fingers clean of their obscenity and nibbled lightly.

"We were a little loud. We've either scarred the people who are awake or woke them up instead." Tim chuckled.

"How about you start running that shower. I seem to have take the brunt of our climaxes." Damian ran his fingers through the cum splattered over him and smeared it over Tim's face.

"Dami! You're such an asshole." Tim huffed his way out of bed and trotted away to the bathroom.

"That's why you love me." Damian called. He got a middle finger popping out the door as a response. 


	42. Christmas - part 2

"I need a shave." Damian ran his hands over his stubbly chin and frowned. 

Tim tipped his head back and let the hot shower rinse over his face. "Let me do it. I only get to shave bum fluff off my baby face so I'm missing out " He wiped his hands over his chest and ran the soap off his body.

"Dear lord. I suppose I can let you butcher me." Damian smacked Tim's wet ass and stepped out of the shower. He filled the sink up with water while Tim finished washing then hopped up and sat on the quartz counter. 

Tim stepped out of the shower and dried his hands off. "I'll have you know, I'm quite good at it. You're lucky I'm right handed too or you'd get the fucked up one holding a razor to your neck." Tim foamed up the shaving cream in the pot and swirled some onto the badger-hair brush. He stood between Damian's legs and dabbed it over his face and neck in little circles. Damian admired the concentration on Tim's face, the little frown lines that crossed his forehead were the cutest thing to Damian. "Ready?" Damian nodded and stilled himself as Tim brought the razor up to his cheek. 

Tim worked efficiently, shaving in stripes down Damian's face. He mimed curling his lip behind his teeth and Damian copied him obediently. He swallowed before Tim pulled the razor up his neck. He was delicate and made sure he'd gotten every last hair. When he was done, he toweled off the excess cream and admired his handiwork.

"Thank you Timothy. That was nice." Damian rubbed some moisturiser over his face and booped some onto Tim's nose. 

Tim rubbed it in and smiled affectionately. "Just one of the things I can do to pay you back for pampering me the other night." Tim wrapped the towel round his waist and left the bathroom. "Dami what do you think I should wear? We're not allowed to wear lazy clothes but I still want something comfortable, no jeans."

Damian walked in and went to look through his assigned drawer. "Hmm I don't think I want to wear anything I have here. I don't want to belittle you in any way but I think I have some trousers from when I was about 15 you could wear. They would fit after all." 

"Sure." Tim grabbed some socks and boxers and followed Damian to his room. The room seemed alien to Tim. He'd barely been in here at all since he'd moved back, and the times he was in here was mostly nighttime. Titus walked over from his bed and lifted a paw for Damian and Tim to shake. "He still sleeps here?" 

Damian nodded and slid his wardrobe doors across to reveal his extensive collection. "Tt. It's slightly insulting. I thought he slept in here because of me, but apparently he just likes the room." He flicked through his trouser section of the cupboards and hauled a pile out. "There you go Timothy, those are the ones I grew out of. They aren't stiff like our work suits, they're more casual." 

Tim marvelled at the selection. Tartan, plaid, checked, striped, plain, and all in a massive selection of colour. Tim plumped for the striking red and yellow tartan trousers. They fit his legs perfectly but we're a little loose around the waist. He asked for a belt, as an answer, Damian grinned mischievously and pulled down a spinning tree of belts.

"The yellow elasticated one with the plastic clip would go well. I brought it specifically for the yellow accent in those trousers." Damian was busy selecting his own outfit from the absurd collection.

Tim resized the belt and clipped it on. He pulled his black socks on and admired himself in the mirror.

 _Now I need a top._ Tim pondered. 

As if he'd read Tim's mind, Damian spoke up: "If you want to steal one of my tshirts instead of going back to our room, my smaller ones are in the bottom left drawer."

Tim rummaged through and found a red shirt that was just a fraction lighter than his trousers. He popped it on, tucked it in and rolled up the sleeves into cuffed bands. 

"You look amazing as always Timothy." Damian wrapped his arms round Tim and looked in the mirror with him. "Do you like what I have on?"

Tim turned around and took Damian in. He wore a plain white t-shirt that hugged his muscles, under a striking teal coloured set of dungarees. One clip was left open and dangled behind him. I'm true Damian fashion, he wore matching teal socks. 

"You look hot as hell." Tim lunged forward and kissed him, he snaked his hand under the dungarees' waistband and squeezed Damian's ass through his skimpy briefs. "But we better get downstairs, it's just gone 7 and I bet Dick has everyone awake."

* * *

"Merry Christmas guys!" Dick tackled them and hugged them both into the ground. The boys accepted the embrace knowing the alternative was being chased through the house. "Just in time too" Dick huddled in and whipered: "Bruce, Selena and Jason prepared breakfast together, can you believe it?" 

"Bout time you two got down here." Jason set down a bowl of yoghurt and wraps of cutlery on the table next to the rest of the feast. Alfred always served a light breakfast on Christmas day. Toast, granolas and other strictly healthy cereals, fruit and yoghurt. All with a selection of drinks: tea, coffee, juices and water.

Damian sat opposite Tim, sandwiched between Bruce and Cass. He dug in like the rest of the group while Tim checked his phone before eating. "C'mon Damian." Jason said loudly. "Ask Tim to eat, you're good at asking." He breathed a fake shallow breath and panted. "Please eat Tim, I can't take it." 

Damian's eyes went wide and bore into the plate. Tim was cherry red and hot all the way to his ears. 

_Oh no,_ Tim panicked. 

"Jason!" Bruce sighed. He rested his head in his hands. "We all heard. We don't need a do over."

_Damn it._

The rest of the table snickered and laughed into their hands. For the next 5 minutes the only sound was the light clinking of cutlery. "Will someone pass me the yoghurt please." Damian asked innocently. 

The table erupted into hysterics. Tim shrunk in his chair and Bruce buried his face in the newspaper. It clicked in Damian's mind what the yoghurt resembled and he joined his father and boyfriend in hiding away. 

_Fuck sake Damian!_

"Of course I can't!" Jason roared. "Now get it yourself!" 

Duke and Selena were laughing so much they left to get the cafetiere and catch their breath. They only returned when everything had calmed. 

"So you all heard... everything?" Damian asked through gritted teeth. 

"I thought I told you Tim, to make it so we couldn't hear." Bruce grumbled. 

"To be fair B. You said you would prefer it if YOU didn't hear." Tim popped a raspberry into his mouth "It was early, we thought you'd all be asleep." 

"Well boys. It's good that you're so into each other but maybe keep it down just a little bit, we can get grossed out by you two tonguing in the cave or whatever we don't need to hear the gory stuff." Selena gave her best reassuring smile. "Or get some soundproofing. It's kinda gross. It's not just noises, it's the slapping 'n squelching too." 

Bruce looked as if he wanted to cry.

"Actually. I was thinking that maybe we should redo my room in the new year and you could move all your stuff in." Tim spoke directly to Damian and steered the subject to a more PG topic. Mainly for Bruce's benefit. "Then we can get some high quality soundproofing and we won't need to run between rooms when we want something." 

"Do you plan on using the room next to Tim's anytime soon Father?" Damian asked. "The wall isn't load bearing so we could knock it through and extend the bedroom. It would be an easy job, the empty room doesn't have an en suite."

Bruce raised his eyebrows in thought. "We have more than enough rooms to accommodate. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to."

"Thank you Father." Damian nodded.

"They'll have a bigger room that us!" Selena moaned.

"Ugh this isn't just any day. It's Christmas." Dick vibrated in his chair with excitement. "Stop chit-chating like this is a regular day. Hurry up and eat so we can do presents."

* * *

Presents and gifts were an oddity in the Wayne household. They were all rich, so the gifts were meaningless when the recipient could buy the same thing without making a dent in their account. They had agreed years ago that their was no obligation to give gifts for birthdays or Christmas. The usual items were small meaningful presents that didn't cost much if anything at all. 

Tim and Damian had a serious conversation weeks earlier, resulting in an agreement to forgo gifts for birthdays and holidays.

After rushing their food they gathered in the living room where Dick handed out small rectangle boxes to everyone and waved for them to unwrap them. "It's not big. But I wanted to give everyone my favourite picture of me and you all together. But I couldn't decide which was my favourite so for most of you I narrowed it down to the earliest pictures of us." 

Bruce sniffed a little when he saw the picture of an 11 year old Dick asleep in Bruce's arms on the sofa. "It took a while but I got one of all of us. I kinda needed the pictures to be out of costume which made it hard. Most of them are pictures Alfred took. Selena braved going into his room to get them for me."

Tim traced his thumb over the glass and remembered the picture's events fondly. After a rocky start, Dick was helping to train Tim. It was late and Tim still wasn't going on patrol so Dick offered to spar with him. They didn't change into costume, just shorts and a gym top. The picture showed them standing at the side of the training mat sipping water and laughing. Dick towered over 12 year old Tim. It was just as Tim remembered, except the mat wasn't there, nor was the cave.

"I hope you don't mind Tim. We weren't in costume but we were in the cave so I photoshopped the cave away. I really tried my hardest to find the one of us two at the circus but I think it's lost forever."

"It's great Dick. Thank you so much. Jeez this was like 13 years ago it's been so long."

Damian leaned over and showed Tim his photo. Dick was carrying Damian to bed. To Tim it looked like after a patrol when Dick was Batman. 10 year old Damian even scowled in his sleep.

"Are we not going to address how many photos Alfred had of us." Duke said with an unsettled expression. 

"He carried a disposable camera at all times. There wasn't many pictures of me growing up, so when Dick moved in he snapped as many as he could then didn't stop with the rest of you." Bruce smiled fondly, hiding the pain behind his eyes. 

"Well it seems you all will have two things to hang on your walls." Damian held a hand up to excuse himself and ran upstairs. He returned with a massive box of wrapped a4 size rectangles. He handed them out for everyone to unwrap and returned nervously to his seat. 

Everyone had a hand painted portrait of themselves on canvas. Dick started to cry, as Damian predicted he would, and smothered Damian's head into his chest. The family could not thank him enough, the praise managed to make his cheeks flush and heat up. 

"These must've taken so long to do. How'd you have the time?" Selena questioned. 

"I used my breaks at work when I wasn't eating with Timothy. I do admit Richard's, Duke's and Cassandra's are older unfinished projects which I simply perfected recently. That is why Richard has no grey hair in his portrait."

Dick touched his sides of his hair that were starting to display little silver strands self consciously and frowned. Jason scoffed at him and nudged Duke to look at Dick's panic.

"What are all those presents leftover for?" Tim asked. 

"Those are Harper's, Cullen's, Barbara's, Kate's and Stephanie's portraits and this one here is for you Timothy." Damian heaved the large gift out of the box and passed it to Tim.

_Shit this is heavy. What the hell has he got me?_

He unwrapped it and flipped over the steel case slid, revealing a prototype camera. One unlike anything even Wayne Entertainment's visionaries could dream up. Tim held it like it would turn to dust at any minute. The camera was deceptively light. The case had various small disks and other attachments. 

_This is amazing!_

"It is one of two in existence. Canon tasked their development team with seeing just how much they could put into a camera using human, alien and cutting edge technology. These were way to expensive to sell even privately so the project was shelved a year or so ago."

Damian smiled proudly as Tim fiddled with the device. The childish look of awe Tim held in his eyes made Damian's heart throb and ache with love. 

"Damian this is. I can't. What?" Tim was truly lost for words.

"Well a thank you would be a nice." Damian joked. 

Tim punched his arm and dragged him into an inappropriately long kiss. "Thank you. I don't even know where to start." 

"He could start with how much that cost." Jason chimed in. 

"One of two doesn't come cheap." Duke added. 

"How much Damian?" Bruce asked. His tone made it clear that his question was in fact a demand. 

"It only cost me a few days of meetings and negotiations and $2 million out of my trust fund." Damian said nonchalantly. 

Everyone gawped wide eyed at him. Bruce was white as a ghost. His mouth was agape with shock. He was teetering on the edge of another heart attack. 

"They did say they'd repair it for free at anytime. I signed a contract saying I'd run a few real world tests. I've done most of them I just haven't checked the hologram features, the editing software or AI. Money well spent, I'd say." 

Tim carefully returned the camera to it's case and shut the lid tightly. "Dami, I don't know how to thank you properly. This is, I don't know." He placed his shaky hand over his lover's.

"Don't say anything more handsome. You love photography, I love you, I don't see an issue. Only the best for you my love." Damian kissed Tim again. Tim kissed back with everything he could, desperately trying to say what he wanted to without words. 

"Shit they made me cry again." Dick rubbed his eyes and sniffed. 

* * *

Damian and Jason cooked up an amazing dinner. Everyone visited Alfred's grave before settling in the living room to watch a boring black and white film Bruce insisted on. After watching the first film, Dick and Jason argued about what to put on next allowing Bruce to slip away into the cave with Damian. 

"What did you need Father?" Damian asked when they stood in front of his batsuit. 

"You're so happy with Tim. You're so in love with each other. That why I'm going to ask you this just one last time." Bruce sighed a breath. "Are you sure you want this Damian. You could settle down with Tim. Neither of you ever have to put on a costume again, I wouldn't think less of you." 

"Father stop." Damian adjusted his suit's belt and brushed off some debris. "This is who I have to be now. We both know that you can never go out there again. Maybe I won't do it for as long as you did, but it's my responsibility. It's fine, I won't let you down."

Bruce sighed and tapped his cane a few times. "You could never let me down son. It's time for me to retire properly then." He led Damian over to the computer and input a few commands. "Put you hand there and look into the red dot." 

Damian did as asked until the light flashed green. 

"Batcave command assigned to. Damian Wayne. Batman." The computer confirmed in a robotic voice. 

"There you go Damian. I am officially retired. I will admit it was hard to give it up, this is my life." Bruce paused and grunted a laugh. "This was my life. I won't lie to you Damian, I was bitter when I saw you out there at first. You're wearing my legacy, my life, my promise to my parents. But if that is what you definitely want, then I'm happy to step back." 

"Thank you Father. It's not about what I want it's about what we leave behind. This is a legacy not many can step into. I can. I want to do it because all I ever wanted to be was like you. Gotham needs a Batman. So that means either me or Cassandra have to step up."

"I will still be part of the Justice League doing strategy work, consulting. But I'll be behind a computer in the watchtower for the most part." Bruce shut the computer off and hobbled up the steps of the cave. "Between us I think you could expect an invitation soon." 

* * *

"Tt. Yes Jonathan." Damian walked into his and Tim's room and rolled his eyes at Tim who was laughing at him. He held the phone inbetween his shoulder and cheek and took his socks off. 

"Did Dick make you wear a santa hat again? I still have that photo." 

"No hayseed, I didn't wear a santa hat." Damian chuckled. "Actually Timothy is wearing one right now." Damian held his hand over the mic and made eyes at Tim. "That's all you'll be wearing soon." He whispered. 

"Dami! I could hear that! Gross! I'm gonna go and get some of Ma's trifle before Kon eats it all." Jon scolded him.

"Say hello to Mrs Kent for me. Tell her I said happy holidays."

"Love you Dami, and you Tim!" Jon screamed. 

"Goodnight Jon."

"Dami! Say it back!" Jon whined with a trace of laugh in his voice. "Don't be shy because of Tim."

He flushed red and looked at Tim who was mocking him. "Love you too Jon." Damian hung up and tossed his phone on the bedside table. He fell back into the bed and let Tim play with his hair. 

"Aww you love him." Tim cooed. 

"He said it once out of habit and I accidently said it back. Now he does it every phone call." Damian explained.

"You look tired." Tim stroked Damian's face and rubbed under his eyes. 

"It's been a busy day. Did you get the security of the camera case sorted?" Tim hummed a yes. "I'm glad you like it, but I do have one last gift for you. Go get it from under the wardrobe."

Tim hopped up and fetched the thin wrapped rectangle. He unwrapped it revealing a drawing of him completely naked and asleep in bed. His arms were thrown above him and his legs were parted open letting his flaccid manhood hang down. "Oh my god you drew me like a french girl!" 

"It's only a little sketch. I did it a few weeks ago after we had sex. I hope I didn't invade your privacy." 

Tim straddled Damian. "I love it. It's going on the wall."

"Are you sure? Your dick is soft in the drawing. I thought you wanted a cartoonish footlong cock." Damian rubbed Tim's thighs lazily. 

"The only footlong I want right now is yours." Tim rotated his hips and rubbed himself over his lovers crotch. 

"It's not quite that big but I think I could give you what you need."


	43. Christmas - part 3 (smut)

"Mmm let's get us out of these clothes first." Tim pulled his top over his head and got off Damian so he could undress further.

Tim shimmied out of his trousers and threw them across the room. Damian's hands were on his ass instantly, clawing at his boxers. Tim batted them away, "No touching." He commanded.

He seductively rubbed over his ass cheeks and pulled down his underwear painfully slow. Damian drooled over the exposed hole that was bared to him more and more as Tim bent over. He ached to touch it, to lick it, to be inside it.

"Tt. Don't tease me like this Timothy. Let me." Damian reached out and dragged his index finger down Tim's crease.

Tim whirled round and caught his finger. "I said no touching. Tonight you're not lifting a finger." He sucked Damian's long pointer without breaking eye contact.

"Stand up, let me undress you and I'll give you everything you want." Tim tore his own socks off and fumbled with the buckles of Damian's dungarees. He pulled them down and made Damian step out of them. He tugged Damian's briefs away and pulled the tshirt over his head, exposing him just like he was. Damian leaned forward for a kiss but was stopped by Tim's finger.

"You're so eager. I need to make sure you can't take charge." Tim said as he stooped down for the elasticated belt. "lay down Dami." Damian did as he was told and laid right in the middle of the bed with his head propped up on the fluffy pillows. Tim sat on his chest and pulled the belt around his hands, looping and knotting to keep them bound tight. "I know you can get out of these but don't. Keep your hands above your head. I want to do all the heavy lifting, you do so much for me, let me treat you."

Tim turned around and bared his ass to Damian's face. He didn't need an instruction. Damian lifted his head up and ate Tim's ass like he was starving. Tim bore down a little more, making it so Damian didn't need to crane his head, Tim was literally sitting on his face. He sucked on Tim's hole, he didn't care about the hair or the weight of Tim on his chest, all he wanted was to taste him. His tongue violently lapped and prodded. 

Tim reached over and played with Damian's soft cock. He flopped it around and teased it into an erection. Tim spread a bead of pre cum over Damian's now swollen tip and glided his hand over his boyfriend's magnificent length.

Damian pulled his head back and blew cool air on Tim's hole. Tim shuddered and whined. Damian blew another stream of cool air before turning his breath hot. "Hoooo. Damn that feels so weird."

Tim bent over and took Damian in his mouth, the sudden stimulation of Tim's darting tongue and warm mouth made Damian buck his hips up. Tim moaned as a response and sunk himself slowly as far as he could. Damian could feel the back of Tim's throat tightening and spasming around his tip.

"Ahh Timothy. I won't last long with the way that feels."

Tim evilly sunk the rest of Damian into his mouth so his nose was pressed into his balls. He pulled back enough to let his throat close over Damian's head before swallowing him down again.

Damian let out along moan into Tim's hole. "Tim." Damian breathed between licks. Tim's trained throat put him completely off task. It was impossible to concentrate with Tim's blissful assault ruining him. He closed his eyes and let his head drop back onto the pillow.

Suddenly the weight was gone, the warmth on his cock was replaced by cool winter air.

Tim had hopped off the bed and rummaged through his draw. He sat at the end of the bed with his largest plug. "You're gonna watch me and wait. Enjoy the show Dami." Tim purred. His eyes were dark with lust. He turned around and displayed his shining slick hole to Damian. He plunged two fingers in and scissored them open.

 _Why must he tease me like this?_ Damian thought _. This is torture._

"Tim please. Why can't I do it? I love you treating me but this is torture." Damian begged.

Tim replaced his two fingers with three and spread them out so Damian could see into him.

Tim spread lube over the plug and himself and plunged it in deep. Tim groaned and arched his back towards the sheets. Damian was leaking a steady stream of pre cum in anticipation. His cock was swollen and begging for attention.

Tim fucked himself until he was open enough to take Damian. The latter was thrusting into the air hopelessly to feel any sort of satisfaction. It was a hopeless effort.

"I think that's enough." Tim said. He pulled the plug from his loosened hole and let Damian marvel at his dripping, winking entrance. He couldn't deny that seeing Tim ruined prior to him even pushed in a single finger stirred a dark, devious desire in him. 

"Please Tim." Damian begged. "Look waht you do to me."

Tim dragged a finger up his lover's twitching length. He tasted the pre on his finger and hummed with delight. He fetched a condom and rolled it down Damian, then crawled up the bed and thrust his tongue into Dami's mouth. Using one hand to prop himself up, he used his good hand to aline the pulsing dick with his hole and sunk himself down until all of Damian was nestled in his warm passage.

"Ghuhhh." Damian howled into Tim's open mouth. Tim moved his hips gently, letting the cock slide through him at an agonising pace. "Tim!" He whined. Tim righted himself and began to move faster. 

Tim impaled himself over and over. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back in bliss. His legs burnt, his muscles hadn't been worked like this since he was last on patrol. Tim didn't care, he powered through for Damian. His Damian, who was coming apart under him. Tim kept an unrelenting pace. Damian whimpered and mumbled little sweet things to Tim, spurring him on, complimenting him, making him feel loved.

The bed was creaking and thudding against the thankfully empty room's wall. Their skin slapped together, punctuated by a wet squelch on each stroke. 

Tim bent down once more and nibbled on his lover's neck. Damian let out a throaty moan and brought his bound arms down to behind Tim's neck. "I'm. N-not touching, not a f-finger lifted." Damian stuttered breathlessly. "I love you." He whispered. "My Timothy."

 _I love him so much._ Damian said internally. 

Damian met Tim's grind and synced with his movements. Tim gasped and panted as Damian pounded him to his climax. Tim squealed and gushed cum between their bodies. "My Damian, ughh." He cried. "I love you."

Tim's convulsing passage brought Damian to the brink. He hugged Tim down into him, spreading the hot liquid between their chests and rammed into him persistently with animal force. Before long Damian was crying out and filling the condom. 

Tim lazed on top of Damian and shook in the aftermath of his climax. His mind and body were reeling. The stickiness on his chest was uncomfortable but with Damian still half hard inside him, he wasn't going to hazard moving. 

"Can I touch you now?" Damian pleaded. 

"Uh huh." Tim breathed. 

_He's so cute after we make love._

Damian unwrapped his hands and began to stroke over Tim's shoulders. They laid until the mess between them started to become more of a glue. "Tim we need a shower my love. Not only are we covered in cum, but we both stink a bit."

Tim let out a hearty laugh and rolled over. "You can carry me. I'm literally fucked."


	44. Christmas - part 4

Tim climbed back into bed and winced. He was sore and loving every minute of it. Damian crawled in behind him and kissed his damp hair.

"Thank you for tonight Timothy, and this morning. All of it. You're the best boyfriend I could have ever asked for."

Tim giggled and rolled over to see his boyfriend. "You don't have to thank me. I should thank you for everything today. I'm not the best boyfriend, you're the best boyfriend."

Damian made a fake heaving noise and chuckled into the pillow. "I'm going to miss this while you're away. How will I ever cope without your dick for a week?"

Tim had a light bulb moment in his brain. "Damian go into my top drawer on the dresser and get the bag from the back." Damian frowned but indulged the request. He handed Tim the bag and looked expectantly. "Okay so you remember the first time we had sex and I brought the plugs?"

"Yes of course."

Tim reached his hand into the bag. "Well that's not all I brought but I thought these might've been too forward so I hid them and then forgot about them completely." He pulled out two clone-a-willy sets and put them on the duvet. Damian burst out laughing and looked over the whimsical kit.

"These are fantastic. And with balls too! Can't forget the balls." Damian looked wide eyed at Tim. "I name my future dildo Timmy."

"You dork." Tim snatched the kit back and replaced it in the bag. He placed it on the bedside table so he would not forget about them. "We could have some fun over video chat while I'm away. Maybe we won't miss each other so much."

"What a thoughtful idea. This is why I love you." Damian sloppily kissed Tim's cheek and laid back down in the bed facing up to the ceiling.

"Why do we shower after having sex and even touching if we're gonna have a shower again in the morning?" Tim asked. Fatigue was apparent in his voice. "Like I get that we need to clean cum out of us sometimes but we could just baby wipe the cum off our chests and go to sleep." 

"I guess we did it the first time and then made a habit of it. It's not a bad thing Timothy. We're used to showering multiple times a day, although it's usually sewer water, debris or some assorted slime and not for such pleasant reasons." 

Damian rolled over to face Tim and pressed their foreheads together. They kissed lazily and held eachother tight. "While you're away I will draw up some designs for our new room. I'm already thinking up possible layouts.

"Do you ever stop thinking? Or does this keep on churning." Tim tapped Damian's temple. 

"I can switch off. I suppose now is the time to relax though." Damian kissed the pointed tip of Tim's nose.

"You tell my asshole to relax. I don't know how I'll sit down tommorow." Tim laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont you just love our boys?
> 
> A full blown family gathering next for boxing day with a scene I think you all will love.


	45. Target Eliminated

"No way not happening." Stephanie waved her hands and signalled a 'no'. 

"I could totally beat Dick in a fight." Jason reaffirmed. They had been arguing their respective fighting prowess and power for an hour now. 

"Yeah and I could beat Wonder Woman." Steph jibed. "You wouldn't get close to Dick. Even Tim could beat you."

"I'm offended. Bruce tell them." Jason pleaded to Bruce, who had been in numerous fights with Jason over the years. 

"I'm not involved. All 4 of you first Robins are evenly matched. Honestly Damian and Cassie are who you should worry about." Bruce tried to put the situation to bed. Honestly he was enjoying watching them bicker. It wasn't a spiteful or dangerous conversation so he let it carry on. 

"None of us would be able to beat Cass. She would've taken you down at your best Bruce." Tim said. 

"Err Damian wouldn't do shit." Jason pointed. "I'm pretty sure we've all beaten him before."

"When I was ten." Damian retorted with a scoff. "I could take all of you at once."

"Prove it Batman. We'll go down to the cave now and settle it." Jason offered him out. 

Damian looked to Bruce for approval. "You started it son. You can't make claims like that without backing them up." Bruce waved at the grandfather clock.

The silence was gripping. Everyone looked between one another waiting to see who'd move first. Damian watched smugly at their debating faces before getting up and turning the hands of the clock. Everyone rushed up and followed him down to the cave. 

"Full costume. Full arsenal." Damian set down his conditions. The group split to their respective lockers and began to change. 

* * *

They all stood ready. The mats and equipment was cleared away to free up the training platform completely for their fight. Damian paced his side of the platform and eyed his opponents carefully. They were all warmed up, stretched and ready. 

"Are you not joining in Mother?" Damian called up to the computer platform where Bruce, Selena and Tim were watching the action from. 

"Definitely not Kitten. I'm old I know you'll beat me." Selena held up her cup and waved him back. 

"So, rules everyone." Damian addressed. "No kill shots for a start. How far is everyone willing to take this?" 

"I mean if we're making this a fair fight. Then how about we throw everything at this except for hospitalisation, concussion and death?" Jason shrugged. The group agreed to the terms and took out their weapons. 

Damian flashed a sets of handcuffs on his belt. "If I get these cuffs on you, then you lose. Or if I knock you out, but I want to make this fun so I'll try not to."

Damian stood in a neutral position and assessed the situation.

_I must not take a direct hit from Jason. One punch could subdue me for too long. Cassandra is the biggest threat, I need to keep her busy. Richard will take it easy on me so I'll use that to take him out of the game quickly. Duke has the advantage of foresight. I need to distract him long enough to catch him off guard. Stephanie will go in hard and try to prove her worth. I expect a power attack to open with, I'll use her momentum against her and hope it distracts Cass._

"Tell us when Father!" Damian shouted. 

_Spoiler, Duke, Richard, Red Hood then Batgirl._ Damian affirmed. _I can do this._

"Go!" Bruce shouted.

Jason opened up with a volley of gunshots, providing cover fire for the group. Spoiler launched herself forward and lunged with her staff. _Just as I predicted._

Damian rolled away from the shots as caught Steph by the neck in midair. His other hand stole the staff away. He slammed her to the floor and expelled all the air from her body. Cass' body language faltered for a moment. Batman whipped around the side of the platform and fired a grapple at Batgirl's legs and yanked her down to the floor. 

Signal was on Damian. He blocked the flurry of blows from his nunchucks. _Damn it. He's faster than I remembered._ Damian dropped a flash pellet and ran. He knew Duke would've seen it coming, but he had to shield his eyes nonetheless. 

Batman threw a barrage of blows at Nightwing. Dick was indeed holding back, and he was pulling his punches. He stayed in close to Dick and used him to shield himself from Jason bullets. He locked Dick's arms within his own and clipped one side of the cuffs on. Nightwing wrenched one arm free and whipped his escrima stick across Damian's face. 

Damian flipped over and threw Dick over him, he landed hard on his hip, giving Batman an opening. He cuffed his hand to the other and eliminated Nightwing from the contest. 

He picked up one of Nightwing's sticks and launched it at Jason. Red hood was forced to dodge and move his footing. Damian was across the platform in seconds. He drove his boot into Hood's knee and ducked under a blow from Cassandra. 

Signal, Batgirl and Red hood came at him in unison. Batman was overwhelmed. He was driven back to the railing. In a split second decision he flipped over the edge and plummeted down into the darkness. He shot his grapple at the platforms underside and swung himself over to the opposite edge. 

As he came up to face the trio's back, he grabbed a set of batarangs and launched them haphazardly in their direction. Spoiler rounded on him and attacked again, she was controlled and much more like the opponent he knew Tim had trained well. But she made a mistake, she had recovered her staff and was trying to distract him by flourishing it between hits, something Tim taught her, and Damian knew Tim well. 

He caught her staff and pulled her forward he brought his knee up to her gut and drove it all the way back to her spine. While she was busy trying not to vomit he clipped the cuff onto her and attached her to the railings. 

_Spoiler eliminated._

Cass, Jason and Duke circled him and waited him out. Jason twirled his sword and practically vibrated with energy. _Anger. I must make him angry. He'll slip up._

"You're rusty Todd. Making up with Father must've made you soft." Damian taunted. Jason's hand tightened around the sword and held it steady. 

"Don't listen. Don't get angry." Cassandra warned. 

_I need some cover._ Damian thought. _I need the dark. These florescent lights are giving me away to much. It won't help with Duke but it'd give me something against the others._

He noticed Jason's gun on the floor and formulated a plan. _If I counted right then he still has two bullets left. I can take out two lights, that will be a start._

Duke was a problem. His powers were a problem. In a last ditch effort Damian threw all his smoke pellets down and unclipped his cape among sure he whirled around to keep it in the air. The three converged on the material, much to Batman's delight. 

Damian used all his energy to dive out of the smoke and pounce on Duke. He landed on Signal's bright yellow back and pushed him down into the metal floor. With lighting speed he pulled the nunchuck's chain round his neck and clipped the cuffs on before he strangled his brother to death. 

_Now I'm left with the two big hitters._

Cassandra took his legs from under him. He landed with a thud. Jason kicked his side and sent him rolling across the floor. He rolled close to Jason's gun, he grabbed it and shot out two of the spotlights.

Jason was closing in. Damian heaved himself off the floor and braced for the grueling fight. Jason's large frame was abnormally fast, he brought his sword down and sliced across Batman's arm. 

_Fuck. I can let him wear me down._

Jason slipped the blade across Damian's cheek and delivered a bone shattering punch to his liver. Damian fell to the floor and looked up at Red Hood and Cassandra who were standing over him. He whirled round on the floor and swept his legs. Cass saw it coming and dodged but Jason was a fraction to slow. He crumpled to the floor.

Batgirl was throwing punches with intent. Damian's lungs were burning, time was moving too slow and his defense was slipping. He always knew Cassandra was formidable but her speed was inhuman. Jason's pounding footsteps behind him we're an amateurish move. Jason should know better than give a warning that obvious.

He waited until Jason was behind him. With a grunt, Red Hood pulled his fist back ready for a haymaker. Damian spun Cassandra's light body around and apologised for what was about it happen. Jason's fist cracked down on Cassie's back and sent her forward into Batman. He sidestepped and let her fall to the floor.

_Just me and you Todd._

Jason was in shock that he had just punched his tiny sister. Shocked enough for Damian to jump up and kick him two-footed over the edge of the railing. Jason toppled over the edge. He flailed into the air as he fell down into the abyss. Damian shot his grapple and shouted for Jason to catch. He hooked the gun onto the rail. 

Jason caught the claw and screamed when it went taught and ripped his shoulder from it's socket. He curled the cable around his hand and held on for dear life.

Batgirl waited in the center of the platform. Her expression was covered by her mask. But Damian knew she wasn't angry with him. If anyone he knew loved a no holds barred fight, it was his sister.

Batman was being sapped of his energy. Just lifting his blood soaked arm took an immense amount of work. He couldnt last long. He needed Batgirl to make a mistake. _Cassandra doesn't make mistakes. This will be a long fight._

The cuffed opponents all watched on with awe and anticipation. Both bats were perfect equals, each trained from birth to be instruments of death.

_I cannot lose! I will not lose. Al ghul's do not lose._

Batman burst forward with renewed energy. He sought to overwhelm her, apply pressure and strike while she retreats. Cassandra met his blows and retaliated with her own. Each punch and strike hit like bricks and burned like lava. The precision and fluidity of her movements was beautiful, other worldly, her arms cut the air with lightning speed.

Damian growled and arced a kick through the air. Cassandra dived back, landing like a feline ready to pounce, and pounce she did. When Damian jumped forward to land and momentous blow, she leaped and speared him midair.

They crashed to the floor, Batgirl pinned his arms down and pressed her boots into his thighs. "Yeild!" she boomed.

Batman threw his head forward and cracked his cowl off of Cassandra's. He threw her away and stood to face her.

They traded blows. Back and forth. Both bats were getting sluggish and fatigued. Cassandra took her last batarangs from her belt and swung it round lazily. Damian caught her arm and yanked her forward into his elbow. Batgirl dropped to the floor and used her momentum to drag Damian down too.

He scrambled for Jason's sword and held it to her neck. Cassandra's batarang was pointed under his chin. Their breath was ragged and pained. The material over Batgirl's mouth was sucked in and out with every heave of her lungs. 

They stayed that way for some time before Bruce called out to stop the contest.

A stalemate. 

They dropped their weapons and laid next to each other on the cool metal, staring up at the fluttering bats hanging off the stalactites. 

Everyone's cuffs unlocked remotely and they began to shake themselves off. Duke and Dick pulled Jason up. 

Jason rolled over the edge of the railing and collapsed. Dick popped Hood's shoulder back in helped him up. The group surrounded the pair and offered their congratulations.

"If everyone would clear me some space I'm going to stay here for a while." Damian panted, he pulled back his sweat ridden cowl and starfished on the floor. 

"Jason." Damian called. Jason took off his mask and looked down at him on the floor. "I'm sorry for kicking you off the platform. That may have been too much."

"Nah that's exactly what I would've done. Why are you apologising?" Jason snorted. 

"Because I want to be on your good side. I really, really need you to make me a strong and refreshing drink. Then after I down it. I want another one."

* * *

Bruce looked down at the platform. As a father he knew he probably shouldn't have endorsed this ego fueled contest. But curiousity ruled. He had faith in Damian's abilities, he had made him his successor after all, but fighting all the family at once was a difficult task. One even Bruce himself might not have even entertained in his prime.

Damian was like an animal, he stalked around his designated side of the platform. His brain was visibly working, churning out a plan of action. 

"I don't know about this Bruce." Tim stood with his arms crossed. "We've all been trained by the best." 

"That's your boyfriend. You underestimate him." 

"No I'm cautious. I don't want him to undermine his authority by getting cocky and losing." Tim scowled and watched as Damian set down the rules. 

"Go!" Bruce barked. 

Damian was tearing though them. Avoiding gunfire like it was no problem. Steph lunged at Damian stupidly. 

"No Steph. He knows me and how I fight too well. Don't do anything I would." Tim urged. Bruce turned to him and smirked. 

The next thing he knew, Nightwing was down and eliminated. Damian was being pushed back. Damian was losing. He fought back until his back was at the edge. Tim gripped the rail in front of him and leaned forward. 

"No!" Damian had thrown himself over. Tim went to run down there but Bruce's hand on his shoulder held him back. Damian swooped up and took the group from behind. He breezed through Steph's next assault and eliminated her.

The platform went up in smoke, Tim couldn't see anything going on. When the smoke cleared, Duke was on the floor cuffed and out of the contest. 

"He's actually doing it. Look at him!" Tim said in awe. 

Jason flipped over the rail and fell down. Bruce moved forward an inch. He relaxed when Damian caught him but continued to edge forward when it was just Cassandra and Damian left. 

"You know when Damian come here, he was already better trained than any of you Robins. At age 10 his command of martial arts and combat skills was beyond description." Bruce said as he watched the final battle. 

"As impossible as it seems, Damian got even better in the time especially while me and Selena were away. No doubt his long sparring lessons with you. Look at his speed." Bruce waved his cane at the scene. Damian blocked and parried Cassandra's blows with ease. "Look at his agility, the ability to counter whatever they all threw at him. I needed to plan for things like this but he just reacts. He makes it look effortless." Bruce observed with a trace of jealousy. 

Tim winced as Cassandra flipped Damian over and told him to yield. 

"It defies description Tim. He's surpassed me at my best and he's still got years to improve. It scares me." Bruce smiled as the pair held blades to each others faces. "That's enough! It's over."

He tapped a command into he computer and unlocked all the cuffs. "Tim. There is no doubt in my mind that they will be the greatest fighters to ever walk this planet. Him and Cassandra." 

* * *

"Alright what's everyone having?" Jason asked. Everyone had gathered in the kitchen for drinks after Damian's near victory over them all. 

"Whatever you reccomend. Just make sure it's strong." Damian smiled and winced as the cut on his cheek pulled. 

"I've been working on a new cocktail of my own. I call it the hellbat. You know after Dad's absolutely metal Apokalips busting suit." Jason froze. _Oh fuck I just called him Dad. Stay calm Jason, everyone's still beaten up and not paying attention._

He brushed it away for now and carried on. "Anyway. I'll take you through it. This might well be the most strong and disgustingly vile cocktail ever."

Jason took out his shaker and jiggers that him and Duke had gone back to the Iceberg Lounge to get earlier in the day, along with copious amounts of drink and ingredients. 

"I thought you might like to try this so I brought all the ingredients." He measured out:

  * 2.5oz of black coloured vodka.
  * 0.5oz of black absinthe.
  * 1oz of blood orange juice.
  * 1.5oz of cherry juice.
  * 0.5oz of cherry syrup.
  * 0.5oz of mint syrup.



He shook it hard with ice and ignored the searing pain in his shoulder. 

The martini glass was coated with sugar and chilli flakes around the rim and a sprinkle of pearl dust was added to the bottom of the glass. When the cocktail was poured it was a deep black-red colour swirling with shimmering particles of pearl dust. 

Jason popped some cherries on a cocktail stick with a novelty bat on the end and dropped it into the pool of dark liquid. Everyone looked puzzled at the little bat. "It was leftover from halloween." Jason said as he slid the glass over to Damian. "Try that fucker."

Damian took a sip, his eyes went wide. He swallowed it and shivered. "Very nice. Incredibly strong but it's fruity nonetheless." He took another greedy sip. "Yes, I recommend that everyone should have this."

Jason made the same for everyone and they all chugged them down gratefully.

"It certainly has a kick, just like the suit." Bruce complimented.

"You just like it cause its black and you can brood with it." Selena knocked his shoulder.

Jason felt a swell of pride, he'd done something that no one could complain about. _I wonder what Miguel would make of it. He liked the taste of oranges and sparkly things._ Jason shook the thought from his head and smiled at whatever the family was talking about. 

"You're getting even better Stephanie. Your attacks are more precise and controlled than ever." Damian complimented her with a clink of their glasses.

"Did you not see me go down in seconds?" She frowned.

"That's because you fight like Tim. I know his moves. In the field you're more than formidable, not many people could keep up with your speed."

"Are you complimenting me again? Guys he's drunk he's complimenting me and not tutting at me." Steph stole the attention of the room and pointed at Damian.

He blushed and hid his face in his glass. "Tt. I'm trying to be nice. I take it back you're shit and you'll die in seconds at the hands of Killer Moth or Kite Man."

"Me and Tim bitched Killer Moth back in the day. Or Charaxes as he renamed himself." Steph pointed at Tim who laughed at the memory fondly. "We both nearly got eaten. All the other copycats who took up the name Killer Moth are like not even E-grade villains. It's a 5 minute callout at the end of patrol."

"Copycats ammirite?" Tim looked at Damian. "We can't all storm into a room and say." Tim lowered his voice to a comedic growl. "I'm vengeance. I am the night. I'm Batman."

The group howled with laughter at Damian's expense. Duke walked over and pat his back. "Hey guys I saw that video. He's was such a badass. Performing for the camera like that. Iconic." Duke pointed at the rest of the group.

"Thank you Duke. It was fine when Father done it but when I do it, I'm a laughing stock. I will rekove everyone's access to the Batcave." Damian pouted at Tim who was still stifling a laugh. 

Duke pursed his lips. "So if I had one of those it'd be: I'm fearless. I am the light. I'm the Signal." the family nodded their approval.

Jason chuckled. These ain't that bad you know, we could work on them and have them ready for a camera in no time. Booster Gold eat your heart out."

Selena sighed, "I can't believe I married into this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this. Bruce's speech with Tim is taken right out of a Batman Beyond comic where league of assassins Damian fights Terry Mcginnis.
> 
> Terry is in a super batman suit that pushes him to superhuman limits and Damian still bitches him.
> 
> Also I have actually made the Hellbat™ cocktail, its my own invention and it tastes pretty good.


	46. The most stunning man in the multiverse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a teeny bit of borderline smut, but it's in a funnier sense.

Damian walked down the long hallway to the Tim's office and dodged the oncoming traffic. Most people were busy leaving for the day, dragging their overflowing briefcases behind them. The rare few who were trudging from the luxurious common room on this floor with a pint of coffee watched him with begging eyes as they returned to their office to work for hours longer.

Tim was not scheduled to work, but with Dick returning home to Blüdhaven the day before and Duke off seeing friends, Tim couldn't stand his Monday being sedentary and unproductive. 

Naturally, Damian followed his lead and also returned to work. The lab was blissfully quiet. Damian could tinker and put his head into his work without being badgered. 

Warren McGinnis was the only other researcher to say merry Christmas and ask Damian how his holidays were. They shared a conversation, exchanging pleasantries about eachothers family. Damian had learnt that Warren was a father to two young boys: Terry and Matt who were 9 and 3 years old respectively. He had wanted to spoil the boys this year, so he had been working over time at the lab.

Damian wrapped his knuckles on the door and was surprised when Lucius answered. "Mr Fox." Damian greeted as he stepped inside.

"Lucius please. Tim's just finishing up a call." Lucius explained. He did not however explain why he was here, much to Damian's annoyance.

"Yes. Yes that's great. I'll set up a meeting for sometime in January. I'll be away for a few weeks. Thank you." Tim put the phone down and banged his head off his desk. "Uhhhh."

Damian popped himself down on the chair opposite Tim. Lucius picked up a case from the floor. "We'll continue this another time Tim." He waved and left the pair alone.

"I do hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No Damian. We were already interrupted and it wasn't pressing anyway." Tim leaned over the desk and grasped Damian's face. They kissed in this awkward position for longer than what was comfortable, but neither man wanted to break away. Tim retreated first and began to pack up his things. "I'm exhausted."

"Hmm. We can have an early night tonight. Cassandra and Stephanie are on patrol duty." Damian fiddled with one of Tim's chrome ornaments on his desk.

"Let's get out of here." Tim stood with his bag. "Don't touch my ornaments, your fingerprints'll smudge."

* * *

"Good day boys?" Selena kissed both of their foreheads when they walked through the door, yet again making them feel like children. 

"God mom stop smothering me." Tim said sarcastically. 

"It kept me occupied." Damian grunted. He shook some snow from his hair and slipped out of his coat. 

"Moody." Tim prodded him. 

"Duke is on his way home. He's bringing chinese takeout." Selena collapsed on the sofa and sipped her glass of wine. She poured one for both boys and laid back into the pillows. 

"C'mon Dami. You can show us all your chopstick skills." Tim giggled at his inside joke. Pepper hopped up onto him and he stroked behind her ears. 

"You're a dick." Damian pouted. 

Jason waddled in wearing tattered lounge wear and stinking of cigarettes. "That's why you love him ain't it? Dick." He snorted. 

"Food everyone!" Duke stood behind Jason and waved the bags of takeout in the air. The sweet smell of chow mein and other goodies wafted through the living room. "Bruce get out of the office and get down here."

* * *

After eating and poking fun at Damian trying to use chopsticks the couple retired to their room and collapsed on the bed.

"People are exhausting are they not?"

Tim sighed. "They are. What do you wanna do tonight. Nature documentries? Drawing? Plotting to take over the world?"

"Maybe, no and no. I was thinking we take the free evening to get those made." Damian pointed in the direction of the clone-a-willy kits on Tim's table. 

Tim hopped up and tore the packages open. He leafed through the instructions and got an accompanying video on his laptop. "Right Damian. We need two plastic bowls we can throw away, actaully get 4 so we don't cross contaminate the moulding stuff. A roll of tape. A thermometer. A measuring jug. A towel, scissors and pick up 2 spatulas." 

"Got it." He raced downstairs to the kitchen with a burst of new energy and excitement. He rummaged through the cupboards grabbing what he needed while Jason watched on curiously. 

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked confusedly. 

Damian clicked his tongue. "Me and Timothy are-" He pondered on how to word it. "Doing a project together."

"What kind of project?" Jason pressed. 

"None of your business Todd."

"Come on. It can't be that secretive if you're stealing kitchen stuff."

"We are making clone dildos of each others penises. Satisfied?" Damian stated blankly. 

Jason blinked a few times. "I-I uhh umm. No." He walked away silently. 

Damian bounded up the stairs with his stock and slipped back into their room. 

"Ahh good." Tim was now undressed in the bathroom and held the tube against his erection, he marked off where to cut. "I thought we'd do me first as a guinea pig."

He got to work cutting the tube. Taping the stopper and balls attachment on. He measured out some water and popped the thermometer in. "Ahh damn it 45°c. We've gotta wait a bit for it to cool."

In the meantime Tim shooed Damian into undressing and measured his own tube out and assembling it. "What made you get the one with the extra attachment for testicles Timothy?"

Tim laughed while checking the water again. "I wanted a perfect replica." When the water hit 32°c, he mixed it with the powder and poured it down the tube. "Here goes nothing." He slid into the tube while bending over slightly and giggled. "Oh god it feels gross. Quick come here I'm gonna lose it." 

Tim yanked Damian in and forced his tongue into the younger man's mouth. Damian was quick to catch onto what Tim meant about losing it, he roamed his hands over Tim's back and settled on his rear. They probably left Tim in the mould for too long, but it was enjoyable so they carried on for a few minutes longer than necessary. 

When Tim slid himself out, he was covered in the dough-like mould, he cringed and picked it off his manhood while Damian worked himself up again. He slid into his own mould when Tim had prepared it. "Tt, this is disgusting." Tim toyed with Damian's dark nipples to keep him erect. "Oh dear I forgot about my foreskin." 

"It pulls back to halfway over your tip when you're hard it's fine." Tim said between licks of Damian's hard, wrecked nipples. 

"Nice to know you have my penis committed to memory." 

Tim sniffed a small laugh. "Well you know. I've got my fill of you over the last couple of months."

* * *

They put their moulds on Tim's dresser to set and climbed into the shower together. They had done this hundreds of times before and yet this time, stood infront of his hulk of a boyfriend he felt small and vulnerable. The feeling was sudden, it couldn't be explained, he felt Damian's hard abs and firm chest rubbing his back. It made him feel like half the man he used to be. 

"I feel tiny." 

"You're perfect." Damian purred. 

"You don't mind that I'm skinny right? I know I've lost loads of muscle, I'll put on more when I get back to training if you want me too." 

"When I said you're perfect. I mean perfect. It's your body and if you feel comfortable with dropping some muscle and being more lithe then you should stay that way. I find you attractive for who you are Timothy. Not your body. No decision you ever make about yourself should be influenced by me. You are your own man." Damian peppered kisses over Tim's neck and ears. 

Damian's hands roamed over his body slowly, delicately and ran the soap off into the water. 

"You've always been beautiful Timothy." Damian spoke into his ear. The words sent shocks and shivers all the way to his toes. 

Damian's soft lips flickered over his shoulder and up to his ears. He caressed each rib, each scar he knew was there, he brushed his hand over Tim's belly button and tickled him lightly. "Don't ever think you're less than the most stunning man in the multiverse."

Damian and his loving words made the insecurity drop away as quickly as it came. "Say it Tim. Tell me what you are."

Tim leaned back into the man's perfect body and let himself sink into him, the feeling of his skin was grounding. "Don't make me say it." Tim whined. The blush was audible. 

"Come on Tim. You know you want to."

"I've always been beautiful Damian." Tim affirmed. He puffed his chest and straightened his back. Saying it made it so. Tim had been beautiful since the day he was born. "I am beautiful." 

"Tell me what else you are."

"I'm the most stunning man in the multiverse." Tim said proudly. 

"Damn fucking right you are. My beautiful, stunning, gorgeous Tim." Damian hugged his arms around Tim and pressed them together fully, taking in the warmth and comfort Tim's body brought him. Damian whispered 'I love yous' and other sweet things inaudibly into his neck. "You are mine and I am yours Tim. If I need to remind you every hour that you're amazing then I will." 

"I am beautiful." Tim said it like a mantra. He mumbled it over and over, letting the water wash his doubt down the drain. Tim didn't know how Damian did it, he'd made Tim feel good about himself just with two phrases. "What about you Damian? Tell me what you are." Tim turned around and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. 

"I know exactly what I am. I'm irresistible. I'm sexy. I'm fucking ravishing." Damian rubbed his nose against Tim's and laughed. "Come on. I just want snuggle up with you. We still have a couple of hours until the moulds are set."

* * *

Damian ducked out to get some tea while Tim changed into the biggest shirt he could find and the thickest jogging bottoms. 

"Earl grey for the man." Damian nudged the door with his leg and closed it the same way. 

Tim took his cup and kissed Damian's cheek when he climbed into bed. They sat leaned up against eachother, enjoying the nature documentary for some time before Tim could not hold his words in any longer. 

"I'm sorry about getting all shy and insecure in there. I hated ruining the fun we were having. It just kinda happens now and again. Like the first time we took a shower together, there was nothing sexual there. I couldn't stop thinking about if you would be grossed out by my hair. Or if you'd think my cock would be too small when I'm not hard. Or if I was too skinny. That's why it was important to get my teeth fixed. I couldn't stand the thought of looking like that."

Damian set down his cup and turned to give Tim his full attention. 

"It's my issue. Nothing to do with you, I'm not doubting your love for me. I'm trying to say sorry, and thank you. Everytime you pay me a compliment I don't know how to respond because I'm not used to it." 

"We all have our issues Timothy. You lack confidence in your appearance. I lack confidence in my self control. Every time I got out there, there's a nagging worry that I'll kill someone based off pure instinct." Damian confessed. "I'm not turning this into a competition or trying to undermine you. What I'm proposing is that if you can be honest with me and tell me outright when you're insecure or worried about something. I promise you Timothy that I'll do the same. I don't want to hide anything from you, and I don't want you to hide anything from me."

"I think I can do that. I don't really open up well but I'll try for you." Tim smiled nervously. "If we're putting everything on the table then I have something to tell you that's been pressing on me." 

Tim sighed. He scratched his cup anxiously. "I hate my job right now. I got excited when I was offered it because I thought it'd be good step for finding myself again. But it's so hard and I was never cut out for office work anyway, I failed school. That's why I liked the job you've got now. I just feel like I'm sucking hard at this and I really want to succeed, I want to have this job but it's difficult and I can't juggle the job, you and me, and our nightlife. I feel so selfish because I'm always choosing one over the others then I'm letting people down."

"Timothy, what can I do to help?" Damian plucked Tim's cup from his hand and set it on the table. He intertwined their fingers and squeezed hard.

"I just need options." Tim thudded his head back onto the headboard. "I'm clueless."

"What about that assistant you've been turning down?"

"But what if I need to slip out in future for Red Robin stuff?" 

"Timothy I'm sure you'd find an assistant that you can keep at arms length. I can select some candidates if you'd like so it doesn't take up your time." Damian planted a kiss on their locked fingers. "As for the workload, have you ever thought about literally halving it? Why don't you see if you can co-direct with someone?" 

"I...didn't think of that. I'll look into it." Tim shuffled uncomfortably and looked down at their hands. "Thanks. Even though I feel awkward it's nice to get it off my chest."

"What are boyfriends for?" Damian chuckled. 

"Thank you, for everything." Tim leaned over and hugged Damian's chest. He smelled the familiar body wash and let it ground him. He retreated and slowly moved his hand up to his mouth. He gulped his nerves down and removed his partial teeth. He placed them in the case he kept on the bedside table and looked tentatively up at his boyfriend. 

"See? Still beautiful." Damian stroked his thumb over Tim's hollow cheek. 

Tim kissed him fearlessly, trying to say thank you again without words. He pulled back with a smiled and resumed his position on his lover's chest. Damian patted his head and stroked through his hair. "You're Tim Drake. There's nothing you cannot overcome, just slow down and accept some help. Now handsome, it's only 8:30, we need something to do for the next half an hour before the moulds are done."

* * *

The next day Tim and Damian raced back to their room after work and made a beeline for their replicas. Their door was left wide open in their race to see their finished products. They pulled their dildos from their moulds and burst into laughter.

"Oh my god it's perfect. It's you." Tim hugged his toy to his chest and marveled at the likeness.

"Can I tell you to go fuck yourself?" Damian slapped his 'Timmy' across Tim's face and laughed. 

"Oh my god Dami look." Tim pointed to the tip of his toy. "It's the demons head." Tim fell into hysterics. 

"You're an asshole" Damian said as he thrust Timmy into Tim's open laughing mouth. Tim made a choked giggling sound and tried to do the same to Damian. 

"Can you guys like close the door. Please. I want to go back to college." Duke stared wide eyed and shook his head, he walked off down the corridor muttering things to himself. 


	47. To Cassie!

"Dami can you get me my nice leather jacket out the wardrobe please?" Tim called from the bathroom, he walked out with his toothbrush and his trusty hair putty that Simon gave him.

"I'm regretting our antics last night. We should've spent some time getting this done earlier." Damian pulled out a selection of coats and trousers. He quickly put together a few outfits and folded them into Tim's duffel bag.

"No way was I leaving without having you fuck me one last time." Tim scoffed. He pondered over what shoes to pack while shoving some boxers and socks in the bag. "What shoes can I pack that go with everything?"

"Either the black Balenciaga race runners or the white Air Max. I'd take the Black Timberland boots too just in case." Damian offered. Tim settled on the black race runners and shoved them in with the clothes.

"Right now delicate stuff." Tim packed his laptop carefully on top of the clothes and wrapped the charger over the top. He retrieved his Damian replica, his douche bulb and a mid-size plug from the drawer with bottle of lube and put them in a plastic bag the down the side of the clothes pile. "Can't take enough right? That's me done I think." 

"Do you not want a bottle of good alcohol to take with you? Be a good guest. That is proper guest etiquette right?" Damian frowned.

"Who do you think is paying for everything?"

Damian carried Tim's bag down to the cave and waited patiently for him to put on his costume. Damian warned him against heroics while he was still rusty, Tim insisted it was just for the journey there so he doesn't get linked to Red Robin while dressed as Tim Drake. Damian plucked an electro-sword from the wall and put the strap over Tim's shoulder. 

The rest of the family gathered in the cave to see him off. He hugged his way down the line, from Duke to Bruce until he was left with Jason. Jay rolled his eyes and accepted the hug.

"I'll say hey to Bunker for you." Tim whispered in his ear. He gave Jason a warm smiled and a wink before turning to Damian. "I'll see you in a week, you'll barely notice I'm gone."

Damian clicked his tongue. "I'll notice alright. I'll miss you." He hugged Tim into his chest and traced patterns over the material. "I love you."

"I love you too." Tim planted a short kiss on Damian's lips and roughed up his hair. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hi Vic. Can you open a boom tube to the tower. Yeah I'm in the cave. No car just me."

A blinding light opened up in the cave. The swirling vortex beckoned Tim to enter as he stode towards it. "Bye guys. Don't kill eachother." the light swallowed Tim up and left the cave darker than before, especially now that Tim wasn't in it. 

* * *

Tim was immediately cold as he stepped out of the boom tube. Snow was falling steadily, each flake nipped at Tim's exposed face. _I should've worn the overhead cowl._

A dark car whizzed past him, heading back off the island. The driver was red-faced and shouting curses at the dashboard. He eyed Tim with resentment as he skidded away. Cassie strode up to Red Robin with her arms crossed. Her glossy golden hair whipped back in the wind. "That was a UN lackey. They're still pressuring us to sign the same agreements as the Justice League."

"Ahh so you made him so uncomfortable to the point where he literally couldn't be here any longer without fearing for his safety?" Tim quipped. 

"I wonder who taught me that one." Cassie remarked sarcastically. She manhandled Tim into a bear hug and squeezed the air out of him. "We've all missed you Tim."

"Can we go inside. I'm freezing." Tim wheezed. Cassie let him go so he could breath again and walked with him back to the imposing 'T' he called his second home.

* * *

"Vic!" Tim fist bumped Cyborg and clapped his metal arm. "Thanks for the ride." 

"Don't mention it man." Victor turned the heating up with a thought after reading Tim's body temperature.

Tim also heard the telltale click of the kettle boiling, Victor had turned it on, anticipating that Tim would want a cup of tea like he usually would upon arrival.

"Where's Bart? I was expecting to be tackled already." Tim looked around at the empty living area. "Actually where is everyone else?"

"Raven is meditating. Gar coming tomorrow. Bart is with Wally right now. Miguel is up in his room. So is Jaime, Rose, Jackson and Kiran. Kara can't make it, she's on a JL mission. M'gann is on Mars. Kori is off world somewhere. Mia is in town picking up some solo cups and other stuff like that and Kon is stuck eating Ma's food until tonight." Cassie listed off the Titan's locations with robotic efficency. 

"I'll go get out of this and into something warm. Then we can talk." Tim held up his near overflowing bag and smiled. 

"Your right we are gonna talk. I wanna hear all about Batman." Cassie fetched the china teapot from the top shelf. It was one of Alfred's best pots that Tim had stolen for the tower. 

"Don't start Cassie." Tim moaned.

* * *

Tim changed into some comfy clothes and returned to the massive living area where Cassie had made the pot of tea herself and was waiting for Tim in the middle of the large circular couch. 

Tim had no doubt that Cassie had made his tea to perfection. They would stay up for hours after everyone had gone to bed. They rarely talked during these moments, rather just sitting and enjoying eachothers company. 

Cassie patted the spot next to her, ushered Tim to sit. "Tell me about Gotham."

Tim chuckled. "You know it's kinda dark. Lots of gargoyles. Costumed crazies-" 

Cassie smacked his leg and giggled. "No come on be serious. It's been 4 months. That city of your's goes from zero to a hundred way too quick for any of us." 

"I don't know where to start." Tim tapped his cup. "We've only had one major villain try to destroy the city. Bruce got crippled though."

"So he's out of the game now? That can't be easy for him."

"Yeah he's done. Sometimes I see him flip into Batman mode then afterwards he looks a little lost. But he signed the entire batcave command over to Damian on Christmas. He seems lost, but I can't even help because, that's his life, Damian is wearing his life." Tim shrugged. 

"What did you get for Christmas from lover boy?" Cassie leaned forward and wiggled her eyebrows. 

"He went a little over board. But it's fantastic. He got me a prototype camera that cost literally millions." 

"Well you are all rich. I'm not surprised he pushed the boat out. How do you top that though Tim?" 

_Oh I've topped that alright._ Tim pondered naughtily. 

"I dunno. Buy him the Mona Lisa?" Tim joked. He watched as Cassie peered out of the window with a frown. "What?" 

"Bart is running across the bay. Prepare to be hugged." Tim leaned over and only got a fleeting glance of Bart kicking up a trail of water before the boy was sitting next to him. 

"Timmy! TimTimTim!" Bart speed kissed his cheek while hugging him and phased though him to hug him from the other side. The entire sofa was vibrating with Bart's excitement. "Imissedyousomuchitsbeensolong-" Tim covered Bart's mouth and nodded slowly. Electricity crackled in Bart's sunlight yellow eyes, If Tim kept his hand on Bart any longer his bones may have turned to dust in his arm from the speed Bart was vibrating. 

"I missed you Tim. It's been ages for me anyway maybe not you but for me it's like a lifetime." Bart grinned cheesily and zipped around the building. He returned in a blink with a new costume in hand. "Do you like my new costume? I went back to Impulse because having two Kid Flashes running round wasn't great. I'm not a kid anymore either I'm 23. Kinda."

Bart dropped the costume on Tim and sped off to get himself a drink and snacks. He returned with a 2 litre bottle of Zesti and a jumbo bag of chicken wizzees.

"Looks great Bart." Tim smiled, he hadn't quite prepared himself for Bart's big personality again. Cassie was brushing chip dust off her legs where Bart had wiped his hand on her at superspeed.

"Why is everyone not down here? So rude they should all be chaining you to the plumbing so you can't leave us again." Bart said through mouthfuls of food.

"I don't think they know I'm here. I'll say hi as they come down I suppose. It's still early, they'll all be in bed." Tim wiped dust off himself and flicked crumbs back at Bart.

"No can do Rob." Bart wiggled his eyebrows and entered Flash-time. He sped off down the hall to the computer office and grabbed a stack of post-it notes. He wrote 'Tim's here' on every note and ran down the hall to every bedroom. He entered Rose's room and shoved a stack of notes down the point of the sword she was practicing with.

He slipped into Jackson's room and plastered his sleeping body in notes, before phasing through the wall into Jaime's room. Blue Beetle was in the middle of putting a sock on, Bart stuck a note on his hand and ankle before pinching a Haribo Zesti bottle from his bedside table.

He put a note on each of Miguel's eyes and one on the hand holding his phone to his ear. He tore open the door and ran through Kiran's door, he posted a note on her mirror where she was putting her hair up and zipped to the end of the hall to Raven's room. He knocked on her door and popped a single note by her nameplate.

He sprinted back to the living area where Tim was still halfway through his word and resumed his seat next to him.

"It's-" Tim noticed the breeze and frowned "Bart what did-"

"BART!" the entire upstairs screamed in unison.

"Tim's here I'm guessing?" Jaime waddled down the stairs with only one sock on and scratched through his beard. He patted Tim on the shoulder and sat with the trio.

"Bart! You didn't have to go get them." Tim smiled at Jamie's disheveled appearance. His shorts were loose, his hoodie was baggy and his single sock was slipping off. His dark mohawk stuck out in every direction. "Just get out of bed Jaime?"

"Uh huh. Was coming down anyway." He yawned. "Are those my chicken whizees?"

The packet blinked away and Bart leaned back onto the pillows. The bag crunched behind him making him go bright red.

Jackson walked in covered in notes. "Bart get these off of me." The notes disappeared and was shoved into his hand. "Hi Tim. Give me a minute I'll be right back." Jackson disappeared past Miguel, back up the stairs.

"Welcome back to your home away from home amigo." Miguel shoved Tim's head playfully and padded away to the kitchen.

Kiran came and hugged him before following Miguel to the kitchen and making herself a late breakfast. Rose leaned the point of her sword over Bart's shoulder threateningly.

"What did I tell you about coming into my room?" Rose growled.

"Don't come in your room. Not even if you're dying." Bart groaned.

She growled and whipped her sword back over her shoulder. Cassie laughed at Bart's red face. "Hey Tim."

"Rose. I got that sword for you I'll dig it out later." Tim smiled the best he could despite the wave of people he wasn't yet prepared for.

"Sweet. We'll catch up later, I don't wanna overwhelm you." She rubbed her missing eye and walked back to her room.

Tim looked at Cassie for help. She refilled his cup and slid it back towards him. "This isn't going to be easy. You're gonna have to speak to all of them eventually. Answering the same questions over and over. Drink up." She laughed and shook her head.

* * *

"So tell us about Batman." Mia looked at him with raised eyebrows. The group was gather around their long dinner table sharing McDonald's that Bart ran out to get. Everyone stared at him expectedly.

"Can we not talk about me? Literally anything but me." Tim whined and shoved a fry into his mouth.

"Well you're kind of hot news. We're all boring these days but you have some gossip." Kon said while waving a chicken strip. "So gossip to them, I've seen it they haven't."

"Well I don't know where to start. I went home, got talking to him went on a date with him and we've been getting stronger ever since. We can talk about our past, we've tried to put it to bed and move forward on a clean slate." Tim shrugged. What more could he say without explaining the last months of his life in great detail? He blushed hard, talking about his relationship with his other family gave him butterflies. 

"So how strong we talking?" Jackson asked.

"We're officially boyfriends, we have been since Thanksgiving. Uhh and we're in love." Tim cringed at his own words.

_God I sound like I'm from a corny teen movie. That was so cringey._

Everyone 'awed' and held their chest mockingly. "Love? It hasn't been that long." Rose retorted. Tim knew Rose would be the one to question his relationships legitimacy.

"Raven. Can you look inside me and tell them what I feel for him?" Tim pleaded to Raven with his eyes. She laid down her utensils and closed her eyes. With a deep breath she began to smile and channel Tim's emotions.

"He feels warmed and loved. It's how Damian makes him feel when they're together. There's a burning passion and a deep longing for him right now." She squeezed her eyes and focused harder. "What Tim feels for Damian scares him, it's hard and fast. The passion and adoration he feels is overwhelming. But he is scared of the possibility that they could break down if something goes wrong. What I'm getting is pride, love and belonging. Damian makes Tim feel more completed then he has since his father died."

She opened her eyes and nodded knowingly at Tim. Everyone gawped, they looked from her to Tim. "That's so crash. It's like a corny teen movie. I've seen them all." Bart mumbled under a mouthful of chicken nuggets. 

"That's so sweet." Kiran cooed.

"Can we not talk about me, please. I'm here all week you can ask me as much as you want. It's my first day back talk about Kon's new piercing or something." Tim waved at Conner's ear and ducked his head down.

"New piercing?" Miguel leaned back and looked at Kon's ear, an industrial stretched over the top of his ear.

"How the hell did you notice that? Nobody noticed for days and you see it in the 30 minutes I've been here." Conner fiddled with the silver bar and grimaced. "Clark let me make a Krytonite needle."

"You're not going to start wearing the studded leather jacket again right?" Cassie pointed accusingly at him with a stern look.

"It's not studded but I do have a new jacket yeah." The group groaned and shook their heads. "I'm having an identity crisis okay? Jon looks older than me now. I've barely aged since i was born. All of you are getting older and I still look 16." He scratched through the sparse hairs on his chin. "I can't even get a beard."

"So the answer is going back to your rebel phase?" Jaime stifled a laugh.

"It's a start." Conner pursed his lips in defense. "If I wanted to be bullied for my life decisions then I'd talk to Lex."

"If you want leather jackets. Jason has a wardrobe full of them. Brown, Black, Mustard. I think he even has a red one. You'd have to talk to him yourself though and he'd probably punch you or send you a bullet shell as a warning. Don't go in Jay's room. Hell know if somethings off." Tim said nonchalantly. Conner's eyebrows raised in wonder, Cassie promptly threw a fry at him and shook her head, dismissing the idea.

Conner started to argue his point, saying red would look good if he wore a black suit. Cassie was shutting the ideas down. Everyone chimed in and gave their two cents. Tim smiled to himself and ate his food contently.

_It's good to be back._

* * *

Tim woke up coldly. His large, cold room had a distinct lack of Damian. He stroked the empty spot next to him under the covers and sighed. 

_I've been away a day. I'm not missing Damian so much. Just his presence, his smell, his warmth. The mass of products he uses in the morning to get ready. How he tuts at me for still eating while getting dressed. Or tells me off for distracting him while he's dancing..._

Tim huffed and sat up, the view was something Gotham lacked, his floor to ceiling windows gave him a full view of the San Francisco skyline. He fumbled over his bedside table and retrieved his phone from next to the picture of him and Kon that had tenure next to his bed. 

He brought up Damian's contact and texted him a good morning. 

> **Contact: My Damian ❤️**
> 
> Morning. I'm all settled in and had a good night catching up with everyone. I didn't text last night because you were on patrol. 😚
> 
> Morning handsome. It is nice to hear you are having fun. Have you just woken up? 
> 
> Yeah it's five to 7 here. Have you eaten yet
> 
> No. Saturday mornings afford me the opportunity to sleep in. 
> 
> Breakfast video call? I'm sure everyone's still in bed
> 
> That would be delightful. I will call at 7:20 your time after making myself something to eat. 
> 
> Great 🍴

Tim flipped his phone into the bed and grinned to himself. He ran around the room and pulled on a pair of boxers and his fluffy robe. He picked up his laptop and left the room as quietly as he could, sneaking down the corridor and down the stairs. Nobody was awake, the tower was still and lifeless. Perfect for a private breakfast for Tim and his lover. 

Tim debated for a moment about his choice of drink, but settled on a coffee because it was quicker to make. He spooned 4 mounds of coffee into the cafetiere and put the kettle on to boil. 

Tim knew Damian would nag him if he only had a bowl of cereal, so Tim began cutting up some strawberries, and placing them in a bowl with raspberries, blueberries and a sizeable dollop of Greek yoghurt. Tim was grateful for the little things, being able to cut things again now was a blessing. Using a knife and fork was still a challenge, and one he usually gave up on, but cutting large things where his injured hand only had to hold things in place was doable. 

He poured the water into the cafetiere and let it stand while he carried a cup and his bowl to the table. He flipped open his laptop and loaded up the Skype app. He tapped the table impatiently. He looked at the bottom of the screen, _7:16?_ Tim pouted and got up to plunge the cafetiere. He brought it over and organised his space out of boredom. He glanced the time again. _7:18? Come on._

Damian's contact flashed up. Tim answered with lightning speed and smiled when he saw Damian's sleepy face light up his screen and his world.

"Good morning stranger." Tim laughed. 

Damian threw him and middle finger and yawned. "Stranger is hardly a word for someone who's had their fingers in your asshole."

Tim guffawed and held his stomach. "How was patrol last night?" 

"You would never guess who I busted." Damian took a bite of food and made Tim wait for the answer. "Killer Moth."

"Fucks sake. He got out?" Tim rolled his eyes and pured himself a cup of coffee. 

"Yes unfortunately. He was let out at the end of his sentence on Monday. He's back at Blackgate. What's amusing is, I didn't bust him alone. The shop owner who he was trying to steal from pretty much had him. I just knocked him out and dragged him to the GCPD. Gordon was not amused." 

"So you're having fun then?" Tim giggled and nibbled a spoonful of fruit. Damian stared blankly at him and pouted. 

"What are you eating today my love?" 

"Fruit and yoghurt. I can't cook remember. I would've had lucky charms but you'd crawl through the screen to screech at me." 

"Tt, I do not screech." Damian waved someone away behind the camera. 

"You do. When you get angry is sounds screechy. Who was that?" Tim stupidly learned over his laptop to get a better view of Damian's surroundings even though it's not remotely possible. 

"Todd. He was making kissing faces." Damian scowled at the door and pressed his lips into a hard line. 

Tim laughed at Damian's cute angry face and ate another mouthful. "What did you russle up for breakfast then?" 

"French omelette. I added a little more tarragon than usual. It works well." Damian held up a fork full and popped it into his mouth. 

"Jeez can't you just have weetabix to grow big and strong." Kon snorted. He had walked in while the couple was talking. He was dressed only in absurdly tight hip briefs that towed the line between briefs and a thong. He walked behind Tim to the kitchen and floated to the top shelf to grab the lucky charms Tim was eyeing earlier. 

Damian watched curiously. His eyes were shielded and gave no thought away to Tim. Conner shovelled a disgustingly large bite into his mouth and walked past the camera. 

Damian waited a beat before leaning in to the camera. "He may have an obnoxious and loud personality, but when he hasn't got clothes on you don't look at his punchable face. He is gorgeous isn't he? You really didn't get some of that in all these years Timothy?"

Tim tipped his head into his hands. "He's right behind the camera." Conner poked his head over the screen and waved obnoxiously at Damian.

Damian lifted his chin up. "I said what I said."

Kon laughed and stood behind Tim. "I'm flattered thanks. I'm like pretty sure I'm not into dudes though."

"Do you usually walk around disrobed Kent?"

"My home I can walk around naked if I want." Conner snapped his waistband and walked away chuckling to himself. Tim was flushed again, all the way to his ears.

"I may have called him for advice the day you did that." Tim explained. He offered a half smile to an unamused Damian.

"I did it better, there was no tension in his. Only a cheap joke." Damian pursed his lips and sipped his drink defiantly.

"God that was so long ago. You know I cleaned the living room top to bottom because I didn't know what to do with myself." Tim confessed.

"Then you asked me on our first date." Damian cooed and grinned through the camera.

"I didn't know it was a date at the time. I didn't even mean it as a date but it had a pleasant turnout I suppose. Now there's a gorgeous 6ft 1, well endowed boy that won't leave my room." Tim laughed with Damian, they fell into a charged silence, just looking at eachothers eyes through the camera.

"We should have a date when you get back Timothy. We'll go to the Chinese again if you like?"

"I'd love that. We haven't been on a date in so long."

"Aww you couldn't even have breakfast apart?" Cassie held her hands to her heart. She was perspiring and nearly steaming from training. "Please remind me I'm single some more."

"Miss Sandsmark." Damian greeted.

"Batman." She nodded.

"Congratulations on 5 years of leadership."

"Thank you. Are you sure you don't wanna come? The party isn't until later. Vic would boom you over." Cassie leaned on Tim's shoulder.

"Like I said to Timothy, I am not a Titan past or present. The handful of missions I worked with you all do not count. Thank you kindly for the offer though." Damian forced his best smile on, he greatly respected Cassie's leadership skills despite only meeting her on a few occasions. "Timothy I believe I will leave you to your friends now, I'm on patrol later so I cannot take your drunk calls. Have a good time handsome."

"I'll hangover text you in the morning then. Love you."

"Love you too." He hung up and the screen returned to Tim's WE screensaver.

"You two are really sweet. It's weird because I only ever saw you two bicker, but it's nice to see you happy Tim." Cassie kissed his cheek and wandered into the kitchen.

* * *

The entire living area had been transformed by Bart, Cassie and Kon throughout the day. The long 3/4 circle sofa was pushed to one side of the room. The TV and fittings were moved to the walls of the room leaving a sizeable dance floor and a table for drinks.

It could have been grander, they could've splashed out on fancy decorations or brought crystal glasses instead of solo cups. But something about having a college style party with their family felt better, especially considering majority of the Titans had been deprived of a normal childhood where these parties would've been a regular occurrence for them.

Tim placed all the bottles on their designated drinks table and stacked up bottles of mixers next to them. It was overkill. There were 13 Titans in the tower, but enough booze to make at least 30 people pass out. Kiran didn't drink alcohol, Victor didn't really need to eat or drink anything, and Bart's metabolism would burn through normal alcohol in less than a second.

Tim had a reserve of specially made speedster alcohol that could only be obtained by phasing a hand through the box it was in. If anyone else drank it, death would be instant. Bart was also instructed to use special yellow cups so no one would accidentally sip his drink.

All of these precautions were due to an incident where Kon drank the speedster blend and spent the next week and a half in a coma and woke up with a hangover he claimed was: 'worse than being stabbed with kryptonite and the rock being left inside him.'

Miguel sidled up next to Tim and sneaked a lidful of Sourz. Tim shook his head but he couldn't help but join him in sampling the mix early.

"It's a shame Jay isn't here to bartend. You'll have to get him to make you a Hellbat. The thing is lethal." Tim necked the lidful and replaced the cap before anyone noticed.

"I'd offer my services but Jason never let me behind the bar." Miguel chucked at what Tim was sure was an inside joke.

"Sometime this week me and you are going to talk about you two. Not now, because you know party in an hour, but we will."

Miguel smiled nervously and nodded. 

"I'm here. I made it." Beast hauled a bag through the door and dropped it. Tim and Miguel ended their awkward staring match and went to greet the green man.

"Hey Gar. Was traffic bad?" Miguel hugged the furry man first, followed by Tim.

"Some loser crashed his Lambo near my house so I had to double back. I regret buying a pad so close to the Hollywood sign, there's so much road between me and the highway." Gar held a smug look in his face as he spoke.

"You're humble bragging to the wrong guy Gar. I'm 5 times as rich as you." Tim punched his shoulder.

"Least I didn't get mine from a trust fund. You know I could've been loaded if things had been different back then."

"My trust fund pays for this entire tower and this party so go and get ready." Tim and Gar laughed as he shouldered his bag again and made off upstairs.

Jackson was first down out of his room. He was dressed simply but looked as fantastic as Tim had ever seen him. Tim gawped at Jackson colourful hair.

"Yeah I was getting bored of bleached ends so I dyed them blue." Jackson twirled one of his small dreads and looked up at it.

"Won't it wash out in the water?" Tim asked curiously.

The Atlantean's face dropped. "Oh." he mouthed. He huffed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well I have blue hair for tonight. Who knows how much longer it'll last. Look at you though! Who knew you had this much style?"

Tim glanced down at his own outfit. Admittedly it was distinctly punk inspired. He wore the same Tartan trousers of Damian's he wore on Christmas with a black t-shirt and his dark leather jacket. He called Damian for shoe advice and was thrown a curveball. Damian suggested wearing his black Red Robin boots. They laced all the way up to his mid calf and were chunky enough to sell the vibe he was going for.

"He's ripping me off." Kon was lifting a keg as if it was a bag of chips. "I did punk style first. Don't mess with the S." 

* * *

The room began to fill with the Titans, all dressed up and raring to go. Cassie was last into the room, everyone clapped her and whistled, she turned redder than Diana's costume and waved averyone off. Tim handed her a drink and hugged her into the throng of people. It was a rare sight to see Cassie in a full face of makeup and a flashy outfit, the amazon custom was to be a natural beauty. 

"Speech!" Mia jibed. Cassie scowled at her.

"Yeah come on. Cassie it's your party." Miguel mockingly clinked her solo cup and doged her smacking hand.

"Right hold up. Tim should make the speech he handed leadership to me." Cassie said as she shoved Tim out infront of everyone.

_Oh shit._

"Right uhh. Shit I'm not the good bat for speeches." All eyes were on Tim, he gulped and hoped he got it right. 

_Here goes nothing._

"Umm this team is a family right? We've all come together from different places and backgrounds and bonded together. From our days as Young Justice." Tim pointed to Bart, Cassie and Conner. "To our graduation from that to join the original Titans." He waved at Victor, Raven and Gar. "Then our later members Miguel and Jax. We're a family. At the center of the family is you Cassie. I didn't give you the leadership spot, because you already had it. You lead us from the beginning with your love, knowledge and your power. You're the glue that's held us together through some of our toughest battles and worst personal struggles. I remember hearing that the Titans needed a Robin, but that's not true, these days they need Cassie Sandsmark."

Cassie sighed a breath and dabbed her eyes. Tim felt a lump rise in his throat and his eyes sting with brewing tears. _Damn it Cassie don't cry you'll set me off._

"You're not even a friend anymore Cassie, you're more like my sister. I'm sure I don't speak only for myself when I say that I might be dead or downright miserable if I didn't have you in my corner. We may have started out with you being Wonder Girl. But you've grown into our Wonder Woman that we're all so proud of." Tim raised his cup and wiped his own eye with his sleeve. "To Cassie and her fantastic 5 years as our leader and to 5 more."

"Cassie!" Everyone said in unison.

Wonder girl strode up to Tim and hugged him tight enough to break ribs. "You dick. My mascara is nearly running." Tim giggled tearfully and squeezed her tighter. "Thank you so much you soppy dork, this was meant it be a party not make a Cassie cry gathering."

Victor cued the party playlist that every Titans had an input on and let it play in the background. The Titans began to mingle a go for 2nd helpings of alcohol, then 4th and 9th helpings later on. The night was messy, Jaime threw up twice. Kon hovered upside down and did a superpowered keg stand, Cassie being Cassie couldn't be out done by Conner so she had a go next. Kiran and Victor mothered the drunkards despite Tim's protests to leave them and have fun. It was every bit the college-style party they'd missed out on.

Towards the end of the night, Tim plopped down next to a barely conscious Miguel and laid next to him. "You guys shoobe inna band. I heard you singing." Miguel slurred. Tim laughed and patted the man's purple hair. Before he could reply he was dragged to his feet by Jackson to dance again. They danced in the thinning group until Jackson couldn't stand anymore and Tim hauled him to bed. 

Tim decided that now was a responsible time to retire himself. The corridor swayed and twisted as he walked to his room right at the end of the neverending hall. He collapsed on the bed and stared at at the ceiling, watching as he rolled like a hamster stuck in its wheel. 

He fumbled with his boots and threw them off, followed by his socks. His jacket was somewhere in the living area, probably stolen by Bart or Mia. He undressed until he was completely bare and heaved himself to the bathroom. He took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of himself in the mirror. He posed and lazily took some candid selfies before opening his chat with Damian. 

> **Contact: My Damian ❤️**
> 
> Great **🍴**
> 
> _3:56am_
> 
> *7 attachments*  
> Bet yourt missibg thia.   
> Im midsing that batman bod.   
> Comr get this ass!!!!!!🍑 

  
He relieved himself and collapsed face down on his bed letting the darkness roll over his head and the alcohol ship him off to an unknown destination. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some Titans content.
> 
> For clarification the current lineup is:
> 
> Tim - Red Robin  
> Cassie Sandsmark - Wonder girl  
> Rachel Roth - Raven  
> Victor Stone - Cyborg  
> Mia Dearden - Speedy  
> Conner Kent - Superboy 1  
> Kiran Singh - Solstice  
> Bart Allen - Impulse  
> Miguel Barragan - Bunker  
> Jackson Hyde - Aqualad  
> Jaime Reyes - Blue Beetle  
> Rose Wilson - Ravager
> 
> Gar and Kori are part time Titans. Kara and m'gaan are former titans that were still invited to the celebration.


	48. A New Batman For A New Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending a day with Batman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 5k hits? And nearly 200 kudos?
> 
> I can't believe people are reading this and sticking around. I didn't think many poeple would like this but apparently I was wrong, in the best way :)

Damian closed his laptop after saying bye to Tim and finished off his breakfast. He heard Jason lurking around but humoured him for a minute before the unannounced loitering became irritating.

"Are you going to stand there or come in?" Damian scowled at the doorway.

Jason popped his head round the frame and grinned evily. "I was just wondering if you'd talk to yourself longingly after he went." He sat opposite Damian and lined up the salt, pepper and glass of water. "Wanna do something today? Anything? I'm kinda bored and Timmers is usually the go to guy."

Damian was taken aback by the proposal. _He's asking me if I want to do something? We're not exactly the hanging out kind of brothers I thought._ He sipped his coffee and eyed Jason apprehensively. "Okay. I wasn't actually going to do anything today but the company isn't unwelcome."

"We could train to start off then do lunch in town?" Jason offered.

"Sounds good. Let me wash up and change then I'll meet you in the cave." Damian accepted Jason's offer apprehensively. _What does he want?_

* * *

Jason had already set up the training dummies and gotten out a set of wooden katanas. Damian admired his technique as he walked down the steps to the training platform. Jason was a deadly fighter, if it wasn't for Cassandra being hurt, Damian would've lost their contest much earlier.

His cumbersome redwood katanas moved like steel, the power in Jason's arms forced the wooden blades to be faster, act lighter, be deadlier. Damian sat on the side and watched as Jason practiced his form.

Jason finished with a bow and turned to address Damian. "You gonna watch or join in?" he said before guzzling a mouthful of water.

"Your footing could use an improvement. But considering swords are you secondary weapons I'd say well done." Damian nodded and removed his shirt to match Jason's attire. He felt small next to his older brother, Jason used to be even bigger than he was at this moment, larger than Bruce used to be. But in recent years he'd cut his muscle down to a leaner build and yet, Damian was still smaller than him.

"Is there a martial art or specific technique you don't know?" Jason asked.

"No. I know everything but some lethal hits only Cassandra, Shiva and Father know. But knowing and perfecting are two very different things Todd. I am not all-powerful, I can be beaten." Damian tried to be humble after saying he knew every fighting style on earth.

"What can't you do then?" Jason wiped his face with his flannel then folded it neatly next to his water bottle. 

"I am an efficient fighter, I get the job done with minimal effort used. Generating power like you do for long periods exhausts me. If I ever come across someone like Bane, I doubt I could beat them alone." Damian confessed. He knew his limitations, but admitting them aloud felt shameful.

"Well we'll work on that today, cranking yourself up to 11 and staying there." Jason threw him a katana and readied his own. "Now this took me a long time, I had an advantage of training for this type of power while fresh out of the lazarus pit, my cells were fresh, rejuvenated. You're just a man, so let's see how much you can do."

Jason lunged at him with his sword. Damian blocked it but the wooden blade was being forced down on him by Jason's weight. With a grit of his teeth and a growl he pushed back and repelled Jason's first attack. 

"You see Damian, I was angry, with Bruce, with the Joker, with the world. You had a terrible upbringing, it was abusive, you had no sense of yourself only what mommy wanted you to be. Find the anger, unleash it through your attacks. My training with the All-Caste taught me this, looking into the darkest and ugliest parts of myself and learning to do something good with it all."

Damian threw himself forward and hit Jason with a barrage of hits, his teeth were bared, his face was burning. He dug deep into his mind and fished out his most traumatic and terrifying memories. Jason fought back with equal force, putting Damian on the back foot. He blocked what he could but the hits were fast, terrifyingly fast. Jason's eyes were ablaze with fury and rage. Then as he stopped swinging, his eyes relaxed to their usual prussian blue colour, a soft expression graced his features, not even a scowl or frown at Damian's weakness.

_How? How does he do it?_

"Damian, verbalise it. It's just us and we've each got a hefty amount if trauma between us." Jason held out his hand to help his brother up.

"This feels wrong Jason. Batman shouldn't fight out of pure anger, I cannot risk losing control." Damian twirled the rounded edge of the blade on the floor.

"No. If you can't control what you've got inside you then it can be exploited. Use it like a weapon in your arsenal and replace it when you're done. I beat Bruce with my bare hands because in my broken head he was to blame for my life."

Damian pressed forward and dredged up anything he could. He felt a searing rage boil up from the deepest parts of his heart.

_The Heretic. Talia. The Jokerz, all of them. I could not stop one of them before it was too late. This was a stupid idea, I'm not like Jason. I'm not angry and vengeful, I'm me._

Jason gritted his teeth and tanked the almighty blow Damian brought down. "How much do you want me to say? How much anger could I possibly hold?" Jason flipped Damian over his head with his legs and tried to regain footing. "I know I was a difficult child, I know I gave you all hell but I've tried my hardest to be a better person. Why does it feel like I'm taking two steps forward and one step back? Father loved me but he was still too engrossed in the cowl, every time I put that thing on I hate how I feel like him, I talk like him, It scares me Jason. I've tried so hard to be me and I'm turning into Father. Every time I put that thing on I get closer and closer. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to lose everyone. I want to be loved. I don't want to push people away for the mission. I'm losing myself after I worked so hard to find who I am. I've spent years trying to push this anger down, I'm not like you Jason, I'm not like Father. I'M ME!"

Damian unleashed an assault of blows Jason couldn't block. An untamed ferocity rolled off Damian in waves, the heat was pulsing from him. He punched Damian in the ribs and disarmed the sword from him. He hugged the boy into his chest before Damian could react. Damian's hands hung limp by his side. His body sagged with fatigue and melted into Jason's chest. "You won't be like Bruce. I won't let you be like that. But it starts with you idiot, you're trying to be Batman but your forgetting something. Batman is Bruce and Bruce is Batman." He pushed Damian back and held his shoulders. "You need to be yourself in that cowl. You've been doing Robin solo for ages now, it's just a costume change. Be your own Batman."

Damian nodded and shuffled away to the side to sip his water. Exhaustion hit him like a punch from Superman. _So that's how he stays cranked up to 11 for so long. I'm exhausted. If I had succeeded in angering him during our contest, I'd have lost in seconds._

"I do admit Jason, it feels good to get it out. I promised Tim I'd tell him the truth about everything but this was too big, too much." He took another gulp and let his shoulders slouch forward. "How do I be myself and do the job justice?"

"Just be you. You like talking to people, talk to them. You have a great smile, use it. Don't mirror the classic Batman image Bruce created, that was him, and you're nothing alike. I'd probably clash more with you if you were. You're the new Batman for a new era, carve out your own path your own image. Dick managed it before Bruce came back. For God's sake Damian you're on more magazine covers than I've had hot meals. You know how to be 'you' unapologetically, that doesn't stop when you're in costume." Jason sat next to him and slipped his arm over the boy's shoulders.

"That is acceptable advice. I will apply it on patrol tonight if I can." Damian leaned into the half-hug. "Why are you being so nice? Yes you've been teasing but I was under the impression that we are not the hanging out and giving advice kind of siblings. I'd die for you but this is new and I don't know what you want."

"Huh truth time guess. I guess I owe you one for opening up to me so I'll talk. But please don't mock me. This is difficult to say to you. Me and Tim usually do the honest talks. I'm uhh, shit. I'm lonely." Jason squeaked, his fingers twisted together in his lap. "I know it's pathetic but all my friends are dead or not even on the planet. It's not loneliness that's getting to me, I've been alone since I was born. It's the lack of people to talk to about stuff. I hated asking Bruce to stay but I didn't want to be by myself again at Christmas while I'm struggling. I'm trying to be nicer, and not a complete ass hole to you all."

_What do I say? I'm nobody's go to guy. No one comes to me with their problems._

"Jason I uhh. I wouldn't mock you. I know we trade insults and bite at eachother but I'm not so socially inept that I cannot tell the difference." Damian stuttered out the best response he could think up. "Is there anything you're struggling with I could help with?"

_I shouldn't be doing this. What if I say the wrong thing?_

"Yeah but I don't know if I can say it. I don't want to cry. I know what society thinks about men is bullshit, but I hate crying. It makes me vulnerable and I can't be vulnerable. I can't look at you and say it." Jason murmured.

Damian turned around and sat with his back to Jason. "If it helps. I won't look at you or say anything." 

Jason slowly turned around and leaned his back on Damian's. "O-okay. Right so you know I've been changing over the past few years. I moved back here, I stopped killing. Y'know aside from those Jokerz. I've tried to be better and re-invent myself." Damian hummed as a response and didn't speak as per their agreement. "I thought I was done. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly I thought I could be happy in my final form. But I realised I wasn't being who I am after Miguel came to visit." 

Jason shuddered out a long breath and slapped his thighs. "I know you don't know all the details but I told him that seeing you and Tim happy made me question what it'd be like to y'know be with a guy."

_Is he going to say what I think he's going to say?_

"I didn't want him to go. When I kissed him goodbye I swear I felt something. But because I was alone, I thought I might just be clinging onto him because he was just another person to speak to. So I left it, and left it and it hasn't gone away. The attraction, that feeling I got. The same one I had with Artemis." Jason breathed again and steeled himself. "I think I'm Bi." The silence was so loud, it could've been minutes, seconds or hours until someone spoke. Jason's breathing was fast and uncontrolled. "Damian please say something."

_No words yet. Not yet Jason._

Damian shuffled round and tugged on Jay's arm. He spun around at looked at Damian with glassy eyes. The younger boy pulled Jason into a soft hug and held him onto his shoulder. He could feel Jason's disphragm spasming and hiccuping. "Just cry Jason. You need to." Damian whispered. Jason let the floodgate open and the tears cascaded down onto Damian's bare shoulder. Damian only held him tighter and let his own tears well up. He knew the feeling well, they weren't painful tears, but rather a physical manifestation of the release Jason just felt. 

Jason ripped himself back and dried Damian's shoulder with his flannel. "I fuckin' hate crying. Stupid Tim always making me cry. Now you." he croaked. His eyes were ruined, they were bloodshot and misty. 

"Thank you for telling me Jason. I know it isn't easy to say out loud." Damian patted Jason's thigh and resumed his seat next to Jason, rather than turning his back again. 

"You're not going to tell anyone right? It's still new and I'm trying to figure it out." Jason begged with his eyes. 

"Of course I wouldn't tell anyone. It is your truth to tell. I know how it feels to have that choice taken away." 

"Oh yeah shit." Jason sniffed. "I never thought the first person I told would be you. No offense but-" 

"I understand. Don't explain yourself. I'm honoured that you did speak with me though." Damian flashed a toothy smile. "If you need to speak further about this at any time then please reach out. I am your ally, confidant and brother. I have your back, I promise." 

"Holy shit." Jason chuckled. "You solved one of my problems and I solved one of yours."

"I'm sorry I don't understand-"

"What you just did." Jason interrupted. "That's it. That's your Batman. You just did it."

_I did. It was so natural._

"Would you like to speak more about this today or another time?" Damian gathered his tshirt and water bottle. 

"Over lunch, if you still wanna go? Shower then we'll find somewhere that serves alcohol at lunchtime."

Damian rose to his feet and held out his hand for Jason, who took it without hesitation and stood as well. "That sounds good."

* * *

It didn't take very long to find a restaurant serving stiff alcohol at midday. The bar was the wrong side of Coventry, and was extremely shady, but suprisingly clean and hygenic. It had burgers on the menu and served any drink one could desire at 12:34pm. Damian ordered a veggie burger and Jason had 'the biggest, meatiest thing on the menu.' His poor choice of words made a choked laugh bubble up from Damian's stomach. Jason glowed red and smacked Damian round the back of the head. They ordered a pint of beer each and sat down in a booth. 

"You're such a prick. You know I didn't mean it like that." Jason hid behind his hands. 

"Tt. It was your choice of words. I only apologise for laughing at them infront of the man." Damian thanked the man for his beer and took a sip. 

"You're not going to eat it with a knife and fork right? Because I will leave Gotham. It's bad enough that Bruce got photographed eating like that in Batburger." Jason gulped down a hearty mouthful of his drink. 

"I assure you I will eat it like a normal person. Father is just a weirdo, I told Grandfather about it and he said Father shouldn't have embarrassed us like that in public." 

"I still get asked about the picture of you rubbing the burger in my face. They called us savages." Jason added. Damian snickered at the memory. 

"I still have the Red Hood action figure. I collected all of them." Damian admitted. 

Jason's eyes went wide. "I knew you wanted that toy!"

The bartender-come-waiter looked at the pair confusedly, he set the plates down and hurried away before he could overhear anymore oddittes like a 20 year old man wanting a toy. Damian ate in mostly silence while Jason told a story about a human trafficking ring he busted a block away. Then about another bar not to far down where a psychic offered to make him orgasm with a thought. Damian was actually interested in the psychic but Jason suspiciously cut himself off. He made no mention of his issues or any other problems he was facing, Damian left it alone nonetheless. The last thing he wanted to do was push too much. 

"I've been rambling." Jason sighed as their plates were taken off their table. He motioned for another two beers and sighed once more. "I suppose you wanna hear more about the thing." 

Damian rested one hand on the table and leaned back into the leather. "I only want to hear what you want to tell me. Nothing more."

"Well I did start so." He waited for the server to leave and began to reel off his feelings. "So I'll start off by saying outright I'm not some sick perv. I didn't invite Miguel to stay so I could manipulate him into fucking. It was all circumstantial." He downed half of the second beer and wiped away the frothy moustache. "So first I caught him staring when I got out of the shower. I'm grossly hot and he's gay so I thought hell yeah! Then I wondered 'what if' you know?"

"I actually do know. Go on." 

"So blah blah I walk in on him bashing off one night and maybe I was tired and had no better sense to stop myself and leave. I asked to join him. We-" He made a jerking motion with his hands. "It was good, then it got awkward. So when we spoke about it he said to give myself some time to really think about if I wanted to do it again." 

"That is responsible of him." Damian interjected. 

"A few nights later I said 'yeah I wanna do more'. Then I just kissed him. I was still confused so I went with it. A few nights later we did some other stuff I won't go into, all I'll say is that it was really intimate and not something to do with someone you wouldn't trust."

Damian frowned. "You're into BDSM aren't you? Because I can definitely see that. The leather, the mask I get it-" 

"No just. No I'm not into BDSM... I don't think. Never tried it." Jason clarified. 

"Okay I'll shut up now." Damian pressed his lips together and allowed Jason to carry on. 

"So the night before he leaves we have sex. It was the best sex I've had, it was intimate, hot, it felt perfect. I haven't had a lot of sex to compare it to, but it was still the best. It wasn't some sort of 'wow I'm totally gay' moment but more of a: 'doing this with this specific person feels right' kind of moment." Jason chugged the rest of his drink, stifled a burp and excused himself. "In the morning he asked if I wanted to keep it a secret. Of course I said no. Even though I was still confused about what it all meant to me, I said 'I wasn't embarrassed, or ashamed of us, him, everything.' Before he left I just kissed him, it was the right thing to do. It felt so right and grounding. I haven't felt that way since Artemis, the man reduced me to nothing."

Jason sighed and looked at Damian for any signs of judgment. The boy had a poker face, just a hint of curiosity flickered across his features occasionally. "It was so wrong after Miguel left. Like the Lounge felt colder than when he was in it. I thought about it so much, over and over. Then I just decided to look at men with the same eyes I looked at Miguel with and it kinda felt like a weight was lifted. The guys in the club weren't Miguel. I didn't want to hug them, kiss them, lay in bed or be close to them like I want to with Miguel. But I did see myself fucking them, maybe a cheeky make out session or fumble in the back. I see women like that all the time too. So that's, uhh, why I think I'm bisexual. Maybe what's the other one Pansexual? I dunno, I think bi fits better." Jason let out a huge sigh of relief and let his head fall forward onto the wooden table. 

"That sounds quite sweet. What started as just sex turned into more. It's like of those steamy novels I enjoy from time to time. So you really like Bunker? Has Jason Todd caught feelings?" Damian flicked Jay's ear causing him to bolt up. 

"I do. I have. He's been popping into my head at random times, I see something and I think about whether he'd like it, I see clothes in a shop and think about picking them up for him because it's his style. We text every few days. It's all the usual pleasant small talk with a few memes thrown in. How do I tell the man I like him? Or tell him I think about him? Or ask him on a date?" Jason groaned again and picked at the table. "I've never done this before. I'm fuckin' useless."

"You aren't useless Jason. You could always just do it like that." Damian offered. 

"Like what? Be clear, demon. I need help." Jason growled. 

"Tell the man you like him. Tell him you think about him. Ask him on a date. Any order would do." Damian chuckled. 

"I'm shit at dates." 

Damian scoffed. "You wanted to ask him."

"What if he's got a boyfriend?"

"You could easily find out."

"What if he doesn't like me. He called me hot but he lives with a Superman clone, a gay Atlantean, a Hollywood actor and Blue fucking Beetle." Jason raised his eyebrows and looked for the response. 

"I do conceded, Jaime is easy on the eye." Damian pressed his lips in a hard line. "You are a bat. We're like the dark broody family of the hero world. Perhaps Bunker has a liking for bad boys? Or maybe you're overthinking this. He took a fancy to me but the difference in the way you're describing it all leads me to believe he may feel the same way as you do. You don't do things he did without liking someone." 

Jason nodded and hummed. "I'm not doing anything about it now anyway. I want to make sure this is what I want and who I am." 

Damian clinked his glass off Jason's empty one. "You're a good man when you're not acting like a scoundrel or an outlaw. It's refreshing to see you speak about a normal issue rather than bat stuff. Jason Todd: finally being a normal human." 

Jason waved the man down for another beer and leaned back in the booth. "That's enough about me. I'm polite so: how are you doing? What have you been up to?" 

Damian outlined a little about what he'd been working on in the lab, the designs he was thinking up for his and Tim's new room. Jason listened intently nodding his head, listening to Roy ramble about his tech for hours gave him a pretty good idea about what Damian was working with. "I admit it is slightly awkward for me to do this bonding, hanging out thing. But that's my problem. I'm flattered that you see me as approachable enough to ask questions."

Jason barked a laugh. "I didn't. Tim is the one that's good at this. But I suppose now we've spoken you're not so bad at this. I think I prefer it. You don't hold back shit, Tim usually sugar coats things. Tim's evil, he manipulates me into giving answers I don't want to give. You're more like Bruce, stare blank faced and wait patiently." 

"Am I a good brother Jason?" Red Hood's head tipped to the side in confusion. "Richard in many ways is like a second father to me, but with you, Cassandra and Duke, I'm unsure of where I stand." Damian didn't care about the answer, but the question had been weighing heavily on him for years. 

"You're a fucking gremlin. But you're our gremlin. You're almost too loyal, too protective, too caring. We've all been able to see past the insults and snide comments to the care and love in your little angry heart. Could any one of us classify as a good sibling? Maybe, maybe not. But out of all of us you're the try hard." Jason shrugged. 

"A try hard at family? I'll take that as a compliment." Damian chuckled. 

"You should take it as a compliment, I don't give 'em out very often. Y'know, I think you'd make a good dad one day. If that's something that'll ever be on the cards for you." 

Damian swelled with an unfamiliar feeling. _A father? Would I be a good father?_ He shifted awkwardly in the booth and stared a hole into the table. "I can't say I've ever thought about it." 

"It was just a thought dude, calm down. Then again what do I know. My Dad's a crook who henched for Penguin." 

"What about Father, Bruce? You called him Dad." 

Jason grunted and fiddled with his coaster, he didn't look up from the table. "You heard that huh? Me and Bruce-" he opened his mouth and closed it again, he grumbled something under his breath and continued: "We still have some issues, we always will have issues and I honestly don't know if we'll ever get past them, but maybe we could learn to live with them. There's no one I want in my life more than him, because for better or for worse, he's been a constant. Just leave it at that."

Damian accepted the answer with just a nod. Jason was clearly in an open and honest mood and Damian wasn't about to abuse the opportunity by pressing the wrong buttons. 

* * *

"How are the kids Cassandra?" Damian unloaded several plates from the dishwasher and buffed them with a soft towel. 

"Good. They're happy to be back. A couple of new faces too." Cassandra helped herself to a spare cloth and shined the glasses they had used for dinner. The children in question were city kids from all over that Cassandra taught self defense, dance and yoga to. While she had to limit herself to a fraction of her lethal potential, she found great solace in teaching children to fight the correct way rather than the torture and abuse she endured. Teaching children to defend rather than kill. To mediate and reflect, rather than brood and train themselves into the ground. To stretch their bodies and extend their minds in a safe place away from abusive or poor homes. 

"If it's okay with you Cassandra, I'd like to patrol alone tonight. I recently got some advice and I'd like to take on the City alone." Damian smiled warmly at Cass' apprehensive expression. "I understand if you would like to, but I assumed you wanted a break. You've covered me twice in the last week." 

"No that's okay. I'll see what Steph is doing tonight." Cass smiled brightly and replaced the glasses in the cupboard. 

"I'm going to get ready soon. I want to have the full night to myself so I'm leaving early at 10ish." Damian folded the towel neatly and placed it on the counter top, he did the same with Cassandra's towel and aligned them perfectly. 

"Not waiting for Tim to drunk call you?"

Damian chuckled. "No we agreed he'd hangover text me." 

* * *

Damian pulled over his cowl and sped out on the bike. The city blurred into view, the lights approaching closer and closer. In the hills, there wasn't a sound, just the low hum of his bike and the flapping of his cape. 

_This will be easy. Like Jason said: be yourself. I'm not like Father, I can be better._

Batman ripped into the Bowery and began to circuit around Park Row before driving through the devastation. The damage was still obvious. Dealers Den was scaffolded and was a charred blackened spot in an already dark area. He parked up the Bat-bike and grappled up to higher ground. There was a small bustle again, the electricity had been fully returned to Crime Alley and surrounding areas. This area of the city always breathed differently to the rest. People left and went away to their night jobs. They gathered in the small community shops and cafe. Damian could see why Jason was still attached to this place after so long. These people had nothing but themselves. 

He grappled over the district and observed for any activity. Just as he was turning back two shifty looking guys ducked into an alley. Batman landed silently on the roof above and held out his hand to use his new glove implants. The audio was transmitted straight to his ear:

"You got that Tranq drug again? How?"

The other man grunted, "doesn't matter. Red Hood hasn't been here lurking for a week. I need this gone, it's not a lot but you'd easily make $1000 of this."

Damian strained his eyes and saw the man remove a small package. That was his confirmation to go. He landed between the two and mashed their heads together. Both were unconscious before they hit the ground. He tapped at his gauntlet screen and sent a message to the GCPD. 

He taped the guys up and strapped the drugs to the dealers chest. He left without a trace, except a small boy was huddled at the end of the alley and witnessed the entire exchange. _This is it Damian. Use your smile, talk to him. Make sure he's safe_.

"You hurt those men." The boy squeaked. His voice was scratchy and frail. 

"Those were bad men. They could've hurt you if they knew you saw what they were doing." Damian softened his voice and stepped cautiously closer. The boy relaxed a little, he was shivering and wrapped in a soaked, tattered rag. Batman unclipped his cape and sat next to the boy. "Here, get that wet thing off and wrap this around you."

The boy slipped the rag off and revealed a malnourished and feeble body. He gratefully engulfed himself in the mass of warm black material and huddled into Damian. "Thank you sir." he choked out. 

"Do you have a home to go to?" Damian asked. 

"M-my mom died when that explosion went off S-Sir. I was living in an empty basement but I got kicked out a few nights a-ago. I've been hiding from people. M-my mom always said there were bad people that might take me away." 

Damian felt a pang of guilt. "What's your name?" 

"Charlie." The boy shivered and scooted closer to Damian. 

"Well Charlie. I know a nice lady who will help you. She can get you some food, a hot drink and give you a place to stay if you want?" Damian tapped his gauntlet and sent an alert to Leslie. 

"You're not a bad person that'll take me away are you?"

"Of course not. I'm a friend. I'm only going to take you to a nice warm place if you want me to." Damian held out his hand to take, the boy placed his bony fingers in Damian's and smiled. 

"Okay sir, I'm really hungry. I-I can walk." The boy stood up. He was barely 4ft tall and looked as if a gust of wind would break him. Damian knelt in front of him and clipped the cape on him properly. He held the boy's hand as they walked to the bike. 

"Look at you. You're a little Superman!" Damian watched the boy puff up with happiness and pride. 

"Right, I need to clip this around you to keep you safe and I'm going to need you to hold on tight okay." Charlie nodded and allowed himself to be lifted infront of Damian onto the bike. Batman clipped a belt around his back and the boys front so he wouldn't slip away from him. He pointed to two small slots in the bodywork he used for dangerous maneuvers. "Can you hold onto these for me. I'm going to go really slow for you so you're safe." 

He drove what could've been a 2 minute sprint, in 20 minutes. Charlie held on tight and shivered even with the cape. Damian pulled up to the clinic and helped the boy off the bike. "This place is huge!" he exclaimed with childish wonder. 

"It is. Here's that nice lady over there." Damian pointed to Leslie who as walking up to them. "Charlie, this is Leslie." The boy stuck out his hand and Leslie shook it carefully. 

"Would you like to come with me? I have hot chocolate." Leslie bent to his level and began examining him with her eyes. 

"Yes please Miss Leslie." He rasped. He unclipped the cape and handed it back to Damian. "Thank you for helping me." 

Batman replaced his cape and waved the boy off into the clinic and out of the cold. He strained his ear to hear what Charlie was saying. 

"Do you know who that was?" Leslie asked. 

"No. But he said he was my friend." 

* * *

Damian zipped through Chinatown. He avoided the abandoned loading bay and avoided his worst memories of Tim's accident. In the distance a group of 3 men were crowding around a smaller, younger boy. When Damian saw the flash of steel he sped up and flung himself off the vehicle. With one fluid movement he booted one assailant clear and connected a fist with the second. The third man with the blade dropped it and began to run. Damian flung a batarang into his calf and watched him topple over in pain. 

"Thanks Batman." The boy breathed. 

"I sent an alert to the GCPD, they have a patrol car nearby." Damian smiled and patted the young man's shoulder. 

The boy swept hair from his eyes and beamed back. "Sorry I can't believe I'm meeting Batman. I used to play with action figures of your team. Robin, Spoiler all of them." 

"It's not a team. It's a family." Damian said cheerily. He mounted his bike just as the patrol car rounded the corner and waved at the young man as he left. 

* * *

Damian swung by his and Tim's date cafe and entered the empty shop. The girl behind the counter visibly shit herself and grabbed a milk frother to use as a weapon. "That's no way to greet a loyal customer." Batman joked. He laughed and gazed over the selection of goodies. 

"What the fuck? Are you actually Batman?" The girl stuttered. The milk frother was replaced on the counter and her phone was ready and waiting to dial 911. 

"Why else would I be wearing this? I'll have a latte and a blueberry muffin please." Damian grinned and tapped his fingers on the counter. 

"You're serious?" 

"Of course. Me and my partner very much enjoy the food here." 

"O-okay then." She began to make up a coffee and eyed Damian with caution. "Sorry but this is the wierdest shit ever. Since when does Batman walk into shops and get coffee?"

"We used to get drive through McDonald's on long nights." Damian remarked. 

"So you're really Batman? Like the actual guy, I saw you on TV beating the fake Joker." The girl popped the lid on the coffee and fiddled with her lip piercing with her tongue. 

"That was me yes." He pointed to the stitched up slash in his arm. "That's where he cut me."

"So cool." The young girl marveled at the proof of his confrontation. She put the coffee and cake on the counter and accepted his cash and tip. "Can I ask, why here?" 

"The cake is good, the shop is usually quiet at this time and the service is polite." Damian raised his cake and stepped back into the cold air. 

* * *

An alert pinged on Damian's map. He followed the blinking light into Coventry and parked up at the GCPD tape. "Detective Bullock!" Batman called, the large man swung himself round and acknowledged his caped visitor. "What happened?" 

"Psycho with a gun. Shot his girlfriend then decided to rampage on the street." Harvey shook his head sadly. "She was dead by time we got to her, he's in custody. No one else but some windows got hurt." 

"What happened to this one?" Damian stooped down to a whimpering German Shepherd whose leg was being tended to by an untrained officer. 

"The gunman shot his leg, the bone is shattered so we're gonna take him to get put down. Don't think there's much we can do for him if we can't stop it bleedin." Harvey remarked. 

Damian stroked behind the dogs ears and cooed at him. _I cannot let them put him down, it's only his leg. He's okay otherwise._ Damian stroked over his head and hushed him. "Bullock if you have a patrol car free, take him to the Damian Wayne Free Veterinary Center. They have a surgeon that can fix his leg." Damian clicked his white lenses away and looked at the dog eye to eye. "You'll be okay won't you? You're a good boy." The dog leaned onto his hand and relaxed there. 

"Uhh Sure. Officer you heard Batman." Bullock called to a uniformed officer behind him. 

"Thank you. I think there's enough death here tonight." Damian held out his hand and shook Bullock's before mounting his bike and speeding away. 

* * *

Damian followed the man from high. He stalked over the roofs and kept a visible line of sight. The man in question was one of the Jokerz. The electronic tags were meant to curfew all Jokerz that weren't processed and in Blackgate. _What is he playing at, and how did he get the tag off?_

Damian saw the man walking towards an apartment block. He was about to pounce when a shrill scream echoed from a block away. The Jokerz lackey ran, but Damian didn't care, he grappled as fast as could towards the source of the noise. The click-clack of heels on the floor helped him hone in. He flew down infront of the terrified woman and braced for her assailant...who was knocked out on the pavement.

"Are you okay Miss?"

"H-he tried to grab me. But I had p-pepper spray and some self defense classes." She struggled to breath and waved the air inform of her to cool down.

"Deep breaths." Damian guided her to a step and sat her down. "Do you need me to call anyone?

"No I'm fine, I live 10 minutes away. I'm just rattled, all these lessons and I've never had to put them into practice before." She breathed.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" Batman asked.

The lady visibly relaxed and sighed. "Yes please."

They walked the short way to her apartment arm in arm. She rambled to Damian about her hot personal trainer who taught her the self defense. Damian recommended a few places in the city if she wanted to learn more complicated martial arts. She told Damian all about her girlfriend who was training at the GCPD academy. He nodded as she spoke all the way to her door where she thanked him over and over for his time.

"It's no problem Miss. I have time for anyone who needs me. Have a good night and keep up those classes. You're definitely getting your money's worth." Damian waved and grappled up to the roof. His target was long gone but his good deed eased the disappointment of losing him.

* * *

Damian drove his way back thought the city and into the hills. He felt more content with his new identity than ever. He'd missed taking to so many people after taking up the cowl. Everyone has such exciting and unique stories. _Jason was right. I hate saying it but his advice was spot on. This was a great night. I'm going to redefine Batman one night at a time._

Damian grinned all the way back to the cave, he parked up the bike and bounced up the steps. He changed out of his uniform and creeped his way up though the Manor. The entire house was still. Everyone seemed to be asleep, which was a bonus for Damian because under his uniform all he had on was boxers and socks. He slipped into his room and made his way into the bathroom. 

The shower burned, the constant assault of hot needling water cleansed him of the night and readied him for sleep. He hopped out and heard a ping of his phone. He opened it and ogled the drunk pictures Tim had sent him. They sent feeling all the way done south. With a roll of his eyes he returned to the bathroom and sent Tim a handful back. 

> **Contact: Handsome 😍**
> 
> Great 🍴
> 
> _3:56am_
> 
> *7 attachments*
> 
> Bet yourt missibg thia.
> 
> Im midsing that batman bod.
> 
> Comr get this ass!!!!!!🍑
> 
> *3 attachments*
> 
> I am most definitely missing you. I'll have some ass when you get back. Here's some of that Batman bod for hungover Tim to wake up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was odd to write and make it feel natural. Jay explaining all what happened with Miguel is a good way to catch readers up on what happened without making them read another 10k words of the spin off.
> 
> As you can probably tell I'm a big fan of Dceaced. Damians characterisation is so much better than current continuity. The most recent issue got exactly what I was trying to capture. He's more compassionate, more emotional than Bruce. He became a better batman.
> 
> Next update should be the 7th, a smutty chapter. Then a full story chapter should follow two days after


	49. 'Your New Friend' (smut)

Tim walked back up the corridor to his room after the Titans' late breakfast which was actually well after lunchtime. Tim had always been able to recover quite well from a hangover provided he wasn't drinking Jason's 90% alcoholic concoctions, the Titans were just a grumbly and sleepy mess.

Tim took off his top, leaving him only in his boxers and tucked himself back in bed. He reached over to his phone and looked at his texts. He groaned and flicked through what he'd sent.

_I sent him fucking nudes? I don't even remember that. They're not even good quality._

He clicked open the attachments Damian sent and grinned. He'd mirrored Tim's lazy pose and snapped some photoshoot-quality naked pictures. Tim's eyes wandered over the screen and took in every glistening water bead and shadow on Damian's smooth bronze body.

His still sizeable soft cock hung heavy between his legs. Tim imagined himself doing things to that body. He imagined getting on his knees and popping the enitre length of Damian's flaccid dick in his mouth and feeling it grow. Filling his jaw and extending down his throat. He could almost feel Damian's strong hands gently caressing his hair, then giving him a hard tug and burying himself deeper.

Tim's hand lazily wrapped round his cock and toyed his head. He was leaking pre just imagining his boyfriend. He fell back into his head. Resuming his fantasy and feeling the prickle of his lover's long fingers holding his head down. He thrust up into his hand and moaned. A long and needy noise illicited from his racing mind.

_I'd feel Damian's hard abs and the bump of each vein. He always lets me explore. The water fresh from his shower would let my hands glide right up to his hard nipples. He loves his nipples being played with, they get so hard. Maybe his breath would hitch as I twist them. Would Dami's hands leave my head and grip my own fingers? He'd massage my hands all over his pecs and gasp like he does when I push him too far. I'd hook my nails in and drag them over the hot skin of his chest._

Tim's hand worked his cock mercilessly. He was moaning and writhing on his bed. The little smirk Damian had in the picture drove him mad and sent shock waves down to his erection.

_Yeah he'd smirk and call me 'handsome' or just 'Tim' like he does when we're getting it on. I'd take him as he thrust into my mouth. When he comes I'd swallow all of him down. So he can't pull out. His cum always tastes so sweet. Would he let go of my hands and caress my face? Or would he keep rubbing my hands all over him? When he let's go maybe he'd get on his knees and blow me. He's so generous when we have sex always making sure I'd cum. I love when he blows me. Sometimes he does it at just the right angle so my cock curves up to the roof of his mouth and rubs against it. His tongue is so damn good. He flicks it over the underside just how I like it. I'd hold his face and call him 'baby'. Whenever I do it he blushes and goes all coy. Then he'd really start sucking. He'd twist his head as his lips close over my tip and take me all the way back. And he wouldn't stop until I'm screaming and giving him what he wants-_

Tim gave and almighty thrust into his hands and erupted a stream of cum onto his bare chest. "Damian!" Tim whined, he kept twisting and rubbing his wrecked cock until nothing more would come out. He panted and laid in his cum while he recovered.

He held his phone with his non-soiled hand and naughtily snapped a photo of the aftermath. His heart raced as he sent it to Damian.

> **Contact: My Damian ❤️**
> 
> _1:47pm_
> 
> *1 attachment*
> 
> Hungover me loved the pictures this much ⬆️
> 
> Yum! Shame I wasn't there to catch all of that. Perhaps we could make some time for eachother tonight and use our new toys if you're in the mood?
> 
> Hell yeah! I'll prep and you can ring around 7/8pm?
> 
> 7pm sounds fantastic, it'll be 10pm for me. Can you taste your mess and send me a picture? Pretty please ;) 

Tim's cock fluttered at the thought and started to fill again. He held his phone away from him and videoed his fingers scooping up the sticky cum from his belly button to his chest. He slurped it off his fingers and sucked them suggestively until they were clean. He let the video load and sent it through to Damian as requested.

Nearly half a minute later Tim received a picture back of Damian spread out on their bed with his torso criss-crossed with hot, fresh cum. His long erection dripped and hung heavy in the pool of white. Tim would've thought the picture was sexy if it wasn't for Damian's goofy face sticking his tongue out and his free hand holding up a peace sign. 

> **Contact: My Damian ❤️**
> 
> *1 video attachment*
> 
> *1 attachment*
> 
> Thank you Timothy, that's all I needed to see. You look breathtaking when you're naughty like that.
> 
> Lol, if that gets you off then you're gonna cum like 6 times tonight. 😂😂
> 
> I sincerely hope I do. You're just that good at getting me riled up my love. I'm afraid I'll have to go. Jason is knocking and calling me for training and I'm currently sprawled out and getting sticky.
> 
> I love you. I cannot wait for later.
> 
> Love you too xxxx.

Tim fished his douche from his bag and made his way into the bathroom. He laid out his shaver, the douche bulb and everything he needed to make himself pretty. He had a lot of prep to do for tonight.

* * *

Tim was all ready and waited anxiously with his setup. He'd stolen a large monitor and a proper high quality webcam. He set everything up so he could ride his Damian toy on the wooden end of his bed. The camera and monitor faced him directly so Damian could have a full unobstructed view. 

Preparation took a while. After maneuvering a mirror in a thousand different positions, Tim had finally managed to shave his rear. He trimmed his pubes. Douched and cleaned out. He felt fresh and ready to go. 

The clock hit 7 and the monitor flashed with Damian's face. Tim answered and was thankful that Damian was seemly already naked, the top half of him was at least.

"Hey handsome." Damian's leering smile struck every nerve in Tim. He shuddered and smiled back.

"Hey." Tim said shyly.

"Look Timothy. I have no clue what I'm doing. Everything is set up but how do we start? I was hoping you had a suggestion." Damian stratched his neck and shrugged.

Tim giggled and allowed his cheeks to tint pink. "Well uhh. I thought about this and I think the best way to get the ball rolling is for one of us to take charge. Give commands and shit."

"That is a good idea." Damian bit his lip. "Flip a coin? Heads I'm taking charge tails it's you?" He held up a coin.

"Go for it." Tim said. The coin landed on heads. Tim bounced with joy and clapped. "Thank fuck for that. I was dreading bossing you around over video call." Tim laughed.

"It's good that I have no such issues. Can you hear me okay, like crystal clear?" Damian asked.

"Yep the volume is right up. This room actually has soundproofing so we're all good to go." Tim confirmed.

"That is great news. Now get on the bed and show yourself off." Damian's voice dropped, signalling the start of their antics. Tim took a step back and climbed onto his bed. He knelt on the mattress and bared himself to the camera. "Massage yourself for me handsome. Get yourself hard for me."

Tim roamed his hands slowly over his torso. He groped his pecs and massaged over them. His cock grew in seconds and twitched with every move of his hands. Damian zoomed out from his face and revealed himself. He was stroking his length at a steady, slow pace. He mirrored Tim's actions with his spare hand.

"Good. You're so pretty." Damian growled. His eyes burned into the screen and raked over Tim's slim, pale body. "Do you like what you see Timothy?"

Tim did indeed. Damian laid carefree jerking himself off to every move Tim made. "I do."

_I really fucking do. I'm so glad he's mine and no one else's._

"Why don't you touch yourself for me then. Use lots of lube. If I can't hear you jerking it then you're not doing it right." Damian tipped his head back in pleasure as the slick, wet sounds of Tim lubing himself up echoed through the screen. "Yes Timothy. Nice and slow, twist and squeeze extra hard at the tip like I do."

Tim slowed down and followed the commands to the letter. He pulsed and throbbed into his wet hand. The circumstances were too much. The risk of being heard or being caught turned Tim on like nothing else. He loves it when Damian takes charge. Everything built up a pressure like no other. Tim was embarrassingly close to cumming already. "Dami. I'm not gonna last long."

"Talk to me then. Tell me when you're on the brink." Damian's dark voice sent waves of arousal through Tim. He whined and heaved in a breath.

Tim jerked himself while Damian watched like a hawk. His legs began to shake. "I'm on the brink."

"Stop!" Damian boomed. Tim wrenched his hand away and gasped. His dick twitched and bobbed in the air. A trickle of pre cum trailed down his curved length. "Come closer to the camera for me Tim. Just your face." Tim obliged and sat infront of the lens. Damian's face studied him for a minute then sighed. "You're so beautiful. But I won't be seeing your face for a while. Get back on the bed and start prepping. Let me see everything. I do hope you use wireless cameras."

With a lustful grin Tim grabbed the camera and clipped it onto his headboard. He angled it down and checked Damian could see what he wanted. He bent over and bared his hole to the camera. He kneaded his ass cheeks and gave a slap to Damian's favoured cheek.

"You shaved? For me?"

Tim dribbled lube over his now smooth opening and plunged a finger inside. "Only for you Dami."

"Two fingers Tim." Damian commanded. Tim obeyed and popped another finger in. Not another 30 seconds after, Damian chuckled and spoke again: "Three fingers."

"Ahhh" Tim whimpered. He pumped the 3 digits inside and spread them wide, stretching himself. Just like he would at home.

"How about we try four?" Damian posed the phrase like a question. With a gulp Tim pressed all four of his long fingers into his hole and groaned at twinge of pain. It quickly subsided and turned into boundless pleasure. Tim looked up at the monitor. He knew Damian couldn't see his face. But Tim could see Damian's. Sweat beaded on his brow, his lips were parted enough for Tim to see his tongue darting around. He was still stroking at the very same sluggish pace. 

_Damn him and his unreliable endurance. He came in seconds earlier._ Tim cursed. 

"I think it's time you use your new friend" Damian said breathlessly. 

Tim fiddled with his toy and popped it on the wooden foot of his bed. _Heavy duty double sided tape, my best friend._

Tim wasted no time sinking himself down onto his Damian replica. "Fuck yes." Tim steadied his legs on the floor and bounced himself up before crashing back down. "Oh my god. Dami!" 

"Ride it Timothy. Ride it like it's me." Damian let him cock go and simply toyed with his nipples. 

Tim heaved himself on and off the silicone length like his life depended on it. The toy impaled him and reached places that no one but Damian could. His moans were shamelessly loud. Before he knew it, his cock exploded with a violent spurt of thick seed. It roped up and down his torso and tricked back down to his pubes. He ground himself down on the toy and shook through his climax. "Fuck Damian. I-I can't. That was amazing."

"You're so good Tim. When you're ready get up and put the camera back where it was. I'll make you cum again I promise." Damian's voice was soft and back to its usual smoothness. 

Tim waited a minute or two then pulled himself off his new favourite toy. He repositioned the webcam then seated himself back on the length. 

Damian stood up and let out a throaty groan. The slick 'Timmy' was left in the seat. 

"You've had that in all this time?" Tim said in disbelief. 

"Damn right. I couldn't wait." Damian zoomed the camera then crawed on all fours and plunged 'Timmy' back inside. Tim had a full view of Damian's rear. His long erection hung down and grazed the sheets. "This is all for you Tim. Pleasure yourself as you like, just make sure you cum when I tell you to. We'll do it together."

Tim rocked his hips and slid the toy lazily in and out. He stroked his cock with the same instruction as before. He was torn. He wanted to close his eyes and focus on the little noises Damian was letting out. But the sight of his obscene display was too inticing to look away from. 

"I love you Tim. The second you get back I want you inside me for real." He pushed his toy in all the way to the balls and pushed back against it. "Your dick is so perfect Tim. The way you curve hits my spot every thrust." He pulled back the toy and slammed it in. He whined loudly and buried his head in the mattress. "Now I can have it whenever I want. But it's not good enough Tim. It's not the same."

_I can't wait to be inside him again. I've been bottoming for too long._

"I know baby, it's not the same. The wait will make it better." Tim gasped. 

"Ughh Tim." Damian whimpered. "Get ready my love." Tim sped up his assault and rocked his hips harder. The underside of his toy grazed his prostate with every little twitch. "I'm ready. Cum for me Tim. Be loud and cum for me. Call my name." 

"DAMIAN!" Tim cried. His second climax of the night rocketed out of him and splattered over the floor. 

"TIM!" Damian rammed the length in hard and squirmed on the bed. A steady steam of cum jetted from his dangling length and spread over the bed sheets. He flooded their bed for a full half minute. Spurt after spurt ripped out of him in warm powerful jets. 

Tim hauled himself up and laid flat on his bed. He heard small movements from Damian but couldn't bring himself to sit up. After a full 5 minutes of panting and staring at the ceiling Tim sat up and grinned into the camera. "That was horrific amount of cum, Dami."

Damian winced as he sat back down and beamed back at Tim. "I should hope so. I had my vibrating massager in for a good hour before we called. I've been on the edge for ages."

"I love it when you take charge."

Damian chuckled "It wasn't my best performance. Although if you're looking for a dom then you're out of luck. I can't do that all the time."

"Mmm you won't have to. When I get back I'll love you properly. No bossing anyone about." Tim adjusted himself awkwardly and sucked in a sharp breath. 

"I really need to clean up Timothy. I don't want all that cum to soak through to the mattress." Damian smiled reluctantly. 

"I'll text you tomorrow. I know it's late there so get some sleep. You have work tommorow." Tim pointed accusingly. 

"I don't need mothering Timothy." 

"Yes you do, now clean up your toys and go to bed. Love youuuu." Tim shut off the call before Damian could argue. 

He cleaned up the floor with antibacterial wipes and cleaned himself up the same way. The washed his toy happily and let it stand to dry next to the sink. 

_I will be using that again this week._ Tim thought naughtily. 

His stomach grumbled and Tim suddenly realised how hungry he was. He shimmied on a pair of joggers and wrapped his fluffy robe around him.

"Where's Kon?" Tim asked Cassie who was curled up in the living room with a book. "He's usually watching re runs of Wendy on the big TV at this time."

"He said he was going to Hawaii." Cassie stated. 

"Hawaii?" 

"Yep. He kept saying 'no not happening no'. Then went off about moving far away, maybe back to Hawaii. He jumped out the window and flew." Cassie examined Tim. He thought he must've had an after-orgasm glow. She looked at him knowingly and nodded. "He heard something didn't he? The soundproofing doesn't extend to Kryptonian hearing Tim. It just sort of muffles it."

Tim scoffed and puffed his chest out. "That's a him problem." he bounced into the kitchen and grabbed a pack of chips. "How could you tell I've done something like that?"

Cassie pointed to his cheek. "A big ol' crusty smear of cum was a giveaway."

"Fuck sake."

"I hope you washed your hands before coming out of your room. I don't want cummy chips." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was good smut. Video call sex is hard but so worth it.
> 
> Next chapter is being written right now.


	50. 5 days with the Titans

**Monday**

"Thanks for that Tim." Gar marvelled at his new photos.

Tim placed his regular camera back in it's box and waved Gar's thanks off. "Why pay for a new set? I'm the best photographer in San Francisco right now."

"Do you want an extra big helmet for that massive head of yours?" Gar jumped and landed in Tim's hair as a mouse.

"I doubt any other photographers got Batman to give them a job with their photos." Tim plucked the small green rodent from his head and frowned. He cupped the ball of green fur in his hand. Gar evolved back into a human from Tim's palm so his hand was wrapped around Gar's waist. 

"I mean Tim. We've known eachother for years but you could at least buy me dinner first." Beast laughed and squealed when his comment earned a sharp tug of his tail.

"Asshole." Tim opened his door and set the camera box back on his desk. The green man leaned in the doorway. "You leaving tonight Gar?"

Gar kicked the floor. "Yeah. I've got an audition for the Wendy reboot to prepare for. Don't tell Conner he'll try and talk me out of it."

"He will hunt you if it turns out bad. I'm sure your Oscar-worthy skills won't be the cause." Tim clapped the man's furry back and walked with him to the living area to sit down. 

"You really think I could win an Oscar?"

Tim scoffed. "Of course you could. It'll be a good year when you do too. Think about it Gar, not only are you the guy that's helping to normalise different looking meta-humans but you're showing everyone that your mutation isn't a bad thing, but a skill." 

Gar smiled awkwardly and nodded. "Noted."

"Look Gar. I've rubbed shoulders with a lot of actors. Hell, even Alfred was an award winning actor. You're great at your job, you still can't fake cry when you need to but you're great."

Beast grumbled, "I'm too much of a happy guy. I have so much respect for people who can just turn it on." Tim sobbed and let a tear roll down his cheek. He buried his face in his hands and huddled into the pillows. "Tim! What the fuck? Was it talking about Alfred?"

Tim's fake sobs turned to laughter. Beast punched his shoulder and scowled. "We use it for interrogations and public interviews. I got shot once, I had to seem rattled."

Gar shoved his head smiled playfully. "You're teaching me that next time. I fell for that too easily."

Bunker sat down at the end of the long couch and half-waved at the pair. He twirled a ball construct in his hand and burned holes through his phone with his harsh stare. Gar said his goodbyes and left to pack. Miguel's gaze never left his phone, not even when Tim slammed down next to him. Bunker's faded purple strands of hair stuck out erratically, his goatee went untrimmed and his usually bright eyes were dull and weighed down by bags.

"You okay Miguel?" Tim patted the man's thigh and pulled the ball-construct from his hand.

Miguel snapped out of his haze and flashed his trademark cheeky smile. "Yeah wey, just one of those days. You missing home?" 

Tim pursed his lips. "I feel like I should be missing it, but I'm not rushing to get back. It's nice to get away for a bit." Tim rolled the construct in his hand. "This is nearly the longest time I've lived at the Manor. After my dad died I moved in, but only for a few months. Then Bruce died and I left and lived in the Robin's nest 90% of the time until I came here full time." 

"I'm still confused at who's Bruce's and who's not." Miguel confessed. 

"Dick, Jason and Cass were adopted. Damian is biologically Bruce's. Duke was only recently adopted after his parents died from the Joker toxin. I was only taken in by Bruce to live somewhere. The public thought he was being a charitable neighbour." Tim chuckled. "I am in no way related to any of them legally or by blood."

"Issa weird set up. But then again what's normal eh?" Miguel laid his head back and stared into the ceiling. 

"You know what else isn't a normal setup?" 

"Me and Jason?" 

"Bingo!" Tim laughed. 

"If I tell you what went on. You cannot judge either of us. I'll start by saying Jay didn't take advantage or anything, he's not a predator..." Miguel told Tim the details of what went on, he skipped over the more intimate details. Tim listened intently with an unbiased mindset. "I know I called Damian hot and said those things but it was just in a sexual way. I hope you don't mind me saying. But like I've known Jay for so long, he showed me Crime Alley his home, he showed me this deep caring side he has. I think I really like him Tim, not the sex but him. When we did have sex it was like 'I want this for as long as I could have it.' he kissed me goodbye and I didn't want that, I didn't want to know. It felt like he wanted me to stay so bad and I had to go no matter how much I wanted to stay with him."

"Did he have that kicked puppy look?" Tim asked. 

"Yeah. It sucks." Miguel tapped his phone nervously. "You don't like hate me for defiling your brother right?" 

"Not at all. I'm confused though, why haven't you said anything to him? Have you said anything? He was all cagey when I mentioned you."

Miguel whined. "Nah I haven't said shit. I left him so he could figure out what he wanted, who he was. But now you said he was cagey and now I think he might regret it."

Tim gripped the man's shoulder and sighed. "I think you should say something." 

"No not happening." Miguel shook his head. "I'm gonna go get fucked and leave it alone. He needs to figure out who he is, I don't wanna influence that, or even be involved with it." 

"You're gonna get fucked to forget about the guy who fucked you? What's wrong with pilates? Or meditation?" Tim scoffed. 

"They don't-" Miguel clamped his mouth shut. "I'm not gonna finish that. Can we just forget this Tim? I'm trying to for my own sanity."

"Sure." Tim clapped Miguel's shoulder. "Let's go out tonight, we'll grab a drink at that gay bar in town and get wrecked, we can take Jackson. Never know, I might be a good enough wingman to get you laid." 

* * *

After several cocktails, a lot of dancing and warning off at least 10 men from grinding up behind him, Tim stumbled back into the tower with Jackson over his arm. 

Tim and Miguel were fine, they had a reasonable amount of alcohol and paced themselves. Aqualad didn't get the memo. He was pounding shots with an attractive man, then decided to share the remnants of his drink by straddling the guy and forcing his tongue in his mouth. 

Miguel snapped at least 20 pictures of them together and posted them to his Instagram. Thankfully Tim was in disguise so he didn't mind being featured. 

The real problem was getting back to the tower. They could not be dropped outside by a cab, they had to walk the long bridge all the way out to the island. They sang Bohemian Rhapsody all the way down the mile long bridge. Tim was out of tune, Jackson slurred and Miguel sang beautifully, much to the other boys' surprise. 

"Come on Jax. Not much further." Tim and Miguel held a shoulder each and hauled Jackson up the stairs. 

"The second time you've put me to bed since you've been here Timmy. You're like a mom." Jackson mumbled. 

They laid Jackson in bed and creeped out the room, so they could crash in their own beds. 

* * *

** Tuesday **

"Please shut up." Jackson groaned. 

Bart giggled and zipped away from his ear where he was talking at triple speed. 

"Who was that guy? You don't usually cut loose like that and get with random people. You're the level headed sensible one out of all of us." Tim laughed.

"Lewis. He's a model. Great kisser, very big hands." Jackson slammed his head on the table and whined. Tim patted his head and left with his bottle of iced tea.

He made his way to the security room and used the computer to flick through Batman articles and reports from the GCPD until Cassie arrived. Report after report of Damian's outings filled the screens. Wonder girl walked in and waved a hello. She began to haul the desks up and rearrange them. Tim was helping her set up a set of 4 new computer desks in the security room. It was well overdue that they stopped sharing the one Batcomputer and got more.

Cassie looked over his shoulder and read with him. Her eyes flicked over the mentions of Damian's heroics. "He's kind of infuriatingly living up to that costume, isn't he?" Cassie remarked. 

"He is." Tim grinned. "I'm proud of him." 

"It's only infuriating because he's so young still. We're still not with it 100% are we? He walks into probably the 3rd biggest costume after Superman or Wonder Woman and aces it from the get go." Cassie stole a sip of Tim's iced tea. 

"You're doing pretty well. Hera forbid anything happens to Diana, you'll be Wonder Woman." Tim poked her bracers. "Donna is Troia, but you're Wonder Girl. One step down from the big job." 

"Don't say that Tim. I'll have a heart attack." Cassie smacked Tim out of the chair and got him to work with setting up the first supercomputer. They worked in a comfortable silence for a while. Just getting on with the job at hand. 

"Do you remember in 2016 when we renamed ourselves as the Titans?" Cassie questioned. 

Tim chuckled. "Yeah I was shitting myself. Us 'Teen Titans' asking the og Titans to a meeting." He chuckled again. "The audacity of us."

"How did we phrase it again? We were well, ugh, umm, ahh." Cassie mocked the nervous stutter they had at the time.

"I genuinely thought we were going to cause some sort of civil war. We actaully asked them to disband their team and let us use their name." Tim adjusted the retinal scanner and fingerprint analyser. 

"Donna was great about it. Every one kinda saw the sense in it. How could we have stayed as the Teen Titans when our youngest member at the time was 17. Their team was defunct anyway they hadn't done a mission together in 2 years. Wally and Donna moved up to the League." Cassie plugged the power into the final computer and let Tim do his thing with it. 

"Good memories. Although Dick still bitches about how he's technically teamless now. He's the one who keeps turning down the Justice League." Tim said. 

Cassie bit her lip and pondered on how to broach her next point. "Umm Tim about the Teen Titans..." 

Tim turned his head up and looked expectantly. "What about us?" 

"That's exactly the point Tim. We haven't been the Teen Titans in a long time." Cassie pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "I want to have a program ready. There may not be enough teenage heroes now. But there will be. And I want to have a plan ready to bring them together when the time's right."

Tim nodded and pointed at the computers. "These aren't for us are they?"

Cassie pressed her lips in a line. "No they're not Detective Drake. I've been doing little things around the tower, getting it ready. Some of us will be having kids sooner or later Tim. All the older heroes are having kids too and shit. Cases of activated meta-genes has been rising year on year for a long time."

Tim held Cassie's hand and looked deep into her eyes. "No one is having kids with you Cassie." He burst out laughing and blocked Wonder Girl's flying hands. "Seriously though, why are you so nervous about this?"

"Because Tim. If a new Teen Titans does assemble they need a mentor. The og's didn't but we had Red Tornado, then Kori, Vic and Gar. If the new blood needs a mentor, I want it to be you."

Tim was dumbfounded. He flushed red and stuterred inaudible words. _Me? Mentor kids?_ Tim brushed the notion aside in his head.

"Come on Tim, you lead us for years." Cassie reasoned. "You taught us a lot, you could teach inexperienced kids anything. Never know, it could be your's and Damian's kid leading a future Teen Titans lineup in 20 or so years."

 _Woah, hold up Sandsmark. We've been together less than half a year and you're throwing kids into the equation?_ Tim's heart rate increased tenfold. 

"Look Cassie, I'll help you craft a plan, a program, I'd even fund it all. But I'm not a teacher. This might not even happen for another 10 years. I could be dead. We could be dead." Tim grabbed her hand and put their finger on the scanner. He assigned administrative use to her and sent Victor a message to embed the new computers into the Titans' system. 

Cassie smiled at Tim smugly. "We'll see."

* * *

The dirty hand caressed Tim's face. He squirmed away and tired to curl up further. "Have you had enough?" the phantom voice spat. The words hit like venom. 

"Please stop." Tim whimpered. He could feel his face streaking with hot tears. 

"No? We can carry on." the voice crawled in his ear and burrowed into his brain. 

Tim covered his face waiting for the pain to come again. "Please stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!" Tim sobbed. He bolted up from his bed and scrambled to the end of the room. He held the back of his head and scratched at his sweat soaked hair. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on his breathing. 

_Fuck._ Tim cursed internally. _Not again!_

"Tim!" Kon burst through the door and flicked the light on. Tim flinched away and buried himself into the wall. "Tim your heart is going mad." 

"I'm fine." Tim croaked. 

_Cassie was right. These sound proofed walls don't quite block out Kryptonian hearing._

"No. I never left you before when you had nightmares. I'm not leaving now." Conner sat next to him and made himself comfortable on the cold floor. He wrapped an arm around Tim and cradled his head. He waited until Tim's heart rate calmed to a somewhat normal speed before speaking. "Do you want to stay here or have a late night tea? I know how to make it now, Ma showed me." 

"Tea. Please." Tim squeaked. Conner held out his hand to help him up. "Uhh Kon grab my robe I'm naked."

Conner grabbed Tim's fluffy robe and handed it to him. He turned around and chuckled. "Not like I ain't seen it before Tim."

* * *

Conner brewed a pot of camomile tea and set it on the coffee table. "Just like Ma makes it." Tim smiled with one corner of his mouth and looked away. "Talk to me Robin. What was it this time? Captain Boomerang? Darkseid?" 

"The Jokerz." Tim mumbled. "I get these dreams more often that I like to admit." 

"I'm sorry, I get if you don't wanna talk about this one. I assumed it was older stuff." Kon nudged Tim's shoulder with his own. Tim sat in silence sipping his drink for an uncomfortable amount of time. Conner didn't press but was getting freaked out my how detached Tim was. "Tim why won't you look at me?" 

Tim's shoulders hunched forward in defeat. He took a deep breath and swiveled round. "Look." He said. Conner immediately saw how Tim's face indented on side. Tim pulled his cheek back and revealed an empty gap where his teeth were. "They really did a number on me." Tim huffed. He turned away again and brought he knees up onto the couch. 

"So I'm assuming you have a fake set?" 

Tim nodded. "If you use you're x ray vision you'll see the implants fusing into my jaw." Kon looked and saw rows of metal pegs. "Once they're fused I can have a perminent set put it."

"Tim there's no need to hide it." Kon patted Tim's calf. "At least not from me. I won't tell anyone else." 

Tim sighed and turned back around. 

"If I don't see you smile at least once I'll go and shave my head again to prove a point." Kon shook his messy waves and pouted comically. 

Tim smiled and laughed toothily then immediately shut his mouth. "Fuck off Kon." 

"Come on. One for me?" Conner begged. 

"Fine." Tim grinned cheesily and showed of his gap before clamping his jaw shut again. 

"There we go." Kon shoved Tim's head and sighed relief. "I really didn't wanna shave my head."

* * *

** Wednesday **

Tim's eyes bore into Cassie's. She met his gaze then flicked her eyes over the table. The tension was tangible, thick like syrup and filled with competition. Kiran and Miguel looked between the pair and whispered. Bart gobbled a bag of cherry lips and vibrated on the spot. Who would move first? Who would dare? 

"All in." Cassie pushed her chips to the center of the table and scowled definatley.

"All in" Tim stated confidently. He pushed his stacks of chips into the center and kept his poker face hard and unwavering.

The community cards were in Tim's favour. What was down on the table were:

  * King of clubs 
  * Ace of spades
  * Jack of diamonds
  * Jack of clubs 
  * Ace of clubs



Tim's own two Jacks would give him four of a kind. Would it be enough? Cassie was an aggressive player, she oozed confidence. The entire game she bet without hesitation, kept an even face. Tim used every skill in his detective arsenal to spot a tell, his search was fruitless. Cassie was a rock and gave nothing away. 

Cassie laid her cards down and grinned smugly: The Ace of diamonds and the King of spades.

Jaime, who had volunteered to be dealer, pushed the community cards up. "A full house." he declared.

Cassie's face was smug. So smug, that a stranger would find her smug enough to warrant a punch to wipe the look off her face. Her eyes glittered, begged Tim to lay down his defeat. She leaned back victoriously and crossed her arms. 

It was Tim's turn to be smug. He laid down his two Jacks and pursed his lips. Jaime pushed the cards up, "four of a kind. Tim wins the game."

Tim would've taken a picture of he could. Cassie's face was one of disbelief and agony. The rest of the Titans cheered and mocked Cassie's confidence. Tim stuck his tongue out and raised his beer at Cassie.

"You're a douche." Cassie swigged her own bottle and flicked the cards at Jaime.

"Better luck next time Sandsmark." Tim jibed.

* * *

** Thursday **

"Dinner everyone!" Superboy called as he walked in the balcony. The ravenous team clammoured at the boxes he held. After telling Ma Kent that this night was Tim's last full day here, she instead that Kon come pick up a home-cooked meal for the Titans to share. Tim thanked her over the phone and answered a barrage of questions asking: how was he? How was Damian? How was Tim feeling after his accident? Was he pushing himself too much? Was Kon behaving?

He set down the absurdly large keep-warm boxes and pulled 2 huge pies and 3 lidded dishes. "We have Chicken and leek pie with Ma's herby potatoes and whatever veg she could find." 

The group muttered 'ooo' and 'mmm' as they gathered at the table. Bart sped away and made the table in under a second. He sat at his chair and bounced with anticipation. 

The food was mind blowing. For once the entire table are in silence, just enjoying Ma's feast and savouring every bite. 

_How can someone make a simple potato taste this great._ Tim thought _. Damian and Jay are good cooks but this is next level._

Over desert Tim gossiped with Kiran about anything and everything. They talked about her parents, how her Diwali celebrations were back home. Tim always thought she was a ray of sunshine, powers or not. Her usually brown eyes often glowed yellow when her powers spiked in tow with her emotions. 

Cassie pulled Kon, Tim and Bart aside after they finished eating and dragged them up to the roof with a 6 pack of beer. They dangled their legs over the edge and took in the night air. 

"You know it's 13 years ago we formed Young Justice." Kon remarked. 

"We were so cool. Hanging out at Mount Justice and disobeying the League at every turn." Tim chuckled. 

"We should have a reunion." Bart exclaimed. "It'd be so crash! We can hunt down everyone and gather in our old costumes!" 

"Oh Hera, does that mean I have to wear the wig and the goggles?" Cassie pulled a face and made everyone laugh. 

"Absolutely. Kon can get his ears re-pierced. Bart can change nothing at all. And I can try and squeeze into my old uniform." Tim mirrored Cassie's worried face. 

"Fuck off we all know you'd still fit into it." Kon poked Tim's ear. 

"Did we really grow up? Or are we the same?" Tim looked over the bay and smiled. The lights blurred over the golden gate bridge and the people returned home to their families. Just as Tim was sat with his family, in his home at that very moment. 

"Nope. Still young. Still just us." Bart hugged the four together and kept them that way until the beer was gone and the air was cold. 

* * *

** Friday  **

Tim moaned in delight. "Fuck me." He groaned. The pleasure was immense, mindblowing, overwhelming. He licked his lips and went in for another round.

He poured another bowl of lucky charms and dug in. He shovelled a mouthful and cruched down on the sugary, sweet delicacies.

Mia and Jaime looked at Tim confusedly and whispered between themselves. "You good there Timbo?" Mia decided to hazard a question. 

"I'm fan-fucking-tastic." He said breathlessly. "Alfred never used to allow sugary cereals and Damian won't let me eat these. Calls them an evil sweet that has no business being associated with breakfast." 

Tim hauled another spoonful in and chewed gratefully. "Damian makes a great breakfast every day if Jay or Selena don't but fuck me I haven't had a bowl of these since August." 

Mia and Jaime nodded. They didn't know how else to respond. Tim's phone pinged and jolted him from his near orgasmic sugar rush. "Speak of the Demon's head." Tim chuckled to himself at his expression. 

Mia and Jaime looked between eachother and shrugged for the hundredth time that morning. Tim noticed and tried to explain: "Well the expression is devil, but he's heir to the Demon's head." Mia waved her hand as if Tim had spoken Kryptonian. "Don't worry. That would've been funny at home." Tim replied. He dropped his spoon and picked up his phone.

> **Contact: My Damian ❤️**
> 
> _8:01am_
> 
> Hello handsome. Are you still coming home today or have you decided to stay longer? 
> 
> Morning. Of course I'm coming home today, about midday.
> 
> That is good news. I'm about to get ready for work, I will 'prepare' and I'll leave the office a tiny bit earlier at 11:30.
> 
> I'll see you later. We're literally fucking as soon as I get in, no exceptions. 
> 
> I would expect nothing less. We'll sprint to the bedroom. I hope we make it that far. I might miss you so much that I decide to let you take me on the computer desk. 
> 
> Dami, Leave it till I get home 😳 
> 
> *1 attachment*
> 
> I'll see you later my love. Enjoy this for now 🍑

Tim clicked on the picture and let his eyes bulge from his head. Damian held the camera over his shoulder and snapped a shot of his muscled back. His free hand dug into his plump ass cheek. He smirked that mischievous smirk and stuck his tongue out for the camera.

"Damn." Tim mumbled under his breath. He pocketed the device and whistled. 

* * *

"I'm bummed that I can't stay longer." Tim packed the last of his bag and zipped it shut. 

Cassie leaned on his doorway and guffawed. "No you're fucking not. You've been itching to get home." 

Tim went red and tried to plead with his eyes. "I-I haven't. Okay fine I really wanna go back but that doesn't mean I like leaving you all." Tim popped his domino on. "This is home too. You're all family too." 

"Come here you." Cassie forced Tim's head onto her collarbone and hugged him tight. "Thanks for everything. Agreeing to the new Teen Titans program. What you said at the party. All of it."

"What are friends for huh?"

"More than a friend Tim. More than a friend." Cassie gave Tim and almighty squeeze and lifted him off the floor. 

"Yeah you're like my mom. God stop embarrassing me." Tim's joke earned him a slap on the arm. 

"Next time you come here I expect you to bring Damian. There hasn't been a Batman here since Dick, or was it the evil us from a possible future invaded?" 

Tim scoffed as he shouldered his bag. "You say that like it's an everyday occurrence." 

Cassie followed him up to the roof where everyone was waiting to see him off. He hugged everyone one after the other. 

"It's pleasing to see you happy Tim." Raven whispered to him.

"I can fly over whenever you want. Anytime I swear." Conner bear hugged him and lifted him into the air. 

"Stay safe my man." Victor half-hugged him and finished with a fist bump. 

Kiran stayed silent. The glitter and blaze in her eyes was sincere enough for a goodbye. 

"Don't stay away too long." Jaime flashed him a carelessly goofy grin. 

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Miguel winked. 

"I can do anything then?" Tim retorted. 

"Tell Damian I said thanks for the sword." Rose hugged him awkwardly. 

"Come back soon. Its always fun when you're back." Mia noogied him and locked him in a headlock until he submitted. 

"I'm shit with goodbyes. I'll swim over sometime." Jackson said with a shrug. 

Bart looked up at Tim with huge yellow puppy dog eyes. "I hate when you leave. It's always so long for me." 

"Come here." Tim said as he pulled Bart into him. "You always say this and I always come back." 

"You ready Tim?" Vic called. 

Tim let go of Bart and nodded. The swirling portal opened with a wave of Cyborg's hand. He waved and shot finger guns at the group before stepping through and returning home. 

* * *

The blinding vortex opened on the platform and shut as quickly as it opened. Tim dropped his bag and sprinted to Damian. He was lifted into the air by Damian's strong arms and brought down into the tightest hug he'd recieved today. Tim's hands slid down his lover's broad back and rested on his ass. 

"Let's get you out of this." Damian clawed at the zips of Tim's suit and peeled it off him. 

"We're seriously not doing this here?" Tim slipped his boots off and shimmied out of the body suit until he was left in his domino, socks and boxers. 

"No." Damian held Tim's hand and dragged him out the cave. "I just wanted to get you out of that so we're didn't have to fumble with it upstairs."

Jason looked up from Sense and Sensibility and gawped at the state of Tim as they came out of the grandfather clock. "Nice trip?" He said teasingly. 

"Don't come upstairs. This might get loud." Damian commanded. Tim shrugged at Jason and let himself get yanked over to the staircase. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some well earned smutty stuff next chapter. I'm nearly done writing it so expect it later today after I re read it and make sure it's all good.


	51. Animal (Smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favourite smut. I loved writing this and I hope you all enjoy it. This is some of my finest work.

Damian pushed Tim onto the bed and pinned him underneath his larger body. Tim thrust his hips up into Damian's, he begged for contact. He needed to be touched; he needed to touch. Damian's fingers trailed up Tim's arms and intertwined with Tim's. 

"I missed this." Tim breathed. He looked into Damian's eyes and saw the untamed lust burning within them. Damian peeled the domino mask off Tim and revealed the icy Arctic stare he loved. 

"So did I." He uttered in a low, needy voice. It sent waves of arousal straight to Tim's waist. He pushed his hips up and parted his lips. Damian saw his opening and closed the small gap between them.

Their kiss crackled like electricity. Over a weeks worth of emotion forced onto eachother in one action. Tim brought up everything he had from his heart and forced it into Damian from the tip of his tongue. Anger. Lust. Pain. Need. Joy. Arousal. Love.

Damian whined into the kiss and deepened it further. His tongue licked over every part of Tim's mouth he already knew so well. His nails dug into Tim's hands and relaxed in tow with every grind of his waist. 

He broke away from Tim's spellbinding lips and pressed delicate little kisses all the way to his neck. 

"Fuck baby." Tim panted. "I needed this so much." 

Damian tore the shirt over his head and threw it across the room. He reluctantly rolled off Tim and wiggled out of his pants and briefs. Tim followed suit, he toed off his socks and practically ripped his boxers away. He grabbed the lube and condoms off his bedside table and put it on the pillow for quick access. 

Damian pulled Tim up to sit and kissed him again. This time it was hard and ferocious. Damian had let go of control and let instict drive his actions. Tim was pushed back into sitting up against the headboard, helpless against Damian's untamed lust. Tim loved it when his Damian lost control, he never hurt Tim seriously in the midst of passion. He never went too far and pushed Tim past his limit. But he did love Tim, unlike anything Tim had ever seen or experienced. His guarded walls came down and a flood of emotion would crash forth and drown both boys in ecstacy and adoration. 

Damian pawed needily at Tim's chest, as if he was scrambling to hold Tim's heart in his hand. He dragged his nails down Tim's front and held his waist. He kissed his way down the red scratches and nuzzled the parting of Tim's thigh. He licked over the crease of his leg and grazed his hands down until Tim's thighs were pinned into the mattress. 

His long tongue lapped up the stream Tim was leaking. The taste was the sweetest delight to Damian, he couldn't get enough. He flicked and darted his tongue and pushed harder on Tim's waist to stop him thrusting. He swallowed Tim in a single motion and burrowed his nose in Tim's small mound of hair. He twisted and rocked his head hungrily and hummed with pleasure. 

Tim threw his head back and gasped. The ambient sounds of the Manor faded away, all he could hear was Damian's animal sounds of delight and the slurping of his eager mouth. He knew better than to touch Damian, he knew better than to even move. No matter how desperately he wanted to tug his hair and own his mouth. Damian's primal lust dictated his moves, and Tim loved submitting. 

Before he knew it the warm tongue and blissful silkiness of Damian's mouth were gone. The younger man smiled darkly and pressed the bottle of lube into Tim's hand. He crawled up and straddled Tim's legs, pressed their chest and erections together. 

Tim drizzled the liquid from the top of Damian's cheeks and let it drip down onto his opening. He forced a finger inside and let Damian ride it. He flipped another up and let Damian's warm passage envelop them. His boyfriend's whines and little whimpers were musical. He opened and parted for all three of Tim's long fingers, and still he pushed back and moaned for more. He needed Tim inside, he was addicted. He was long overdue his last dose and the craving was overwhelming. 

Damian's hand worked the foil. He slid the condom down Tim and drizzled lube on him with assassin speed. He lined up and sunk himself down. He hissed and panted. The curve of Tim hit his sweet spot instantly.

Finally he was satisfied. 

Tim held Damian's hips and helped guide him up and down. Every stroke hit Damian in just the right place. Every buck of Tim's hips sent him closer to the edge. His shoulder and bicep muscles rippled as he used the headboard to steady himself. His other hand locked in behind Tim's neck and brought their faces close. Their lips grazed but never pressed together, this way they breathed eachother in, sharing the air in each others lungs. 

Damian's breath was shallow, and speeding up. "Tim. Tim. Tim." Punctuated every movement. Louder and louder every time until he was nearly screaming. Damian's tongue creeped out and teased Tim's lip. They brought their mouths together just as Damian tipped over the edge. Tim's chest was painted white while his lover moaned and whimpered into his throat. 

He didn't stop, ever the soldier, Damian carried on pumping Tim inside him. His hand scooped up the mess and shovelled it into Tim's mouth. He worked his fingers in and out, letting Tim clean him up. He replaced his fingers with his tongue again and tasted his warm treat in Tim. 

Tim met every thrust and enjoyed the way Damian shuddered and fell apart piece by piece. Their movements were wild and untamed. Tim wrapped his hands over the back of Damian's head and hugged him close as he came. He shrieked embarrassingly. Speaking in a new language as he filled the latex and more. 

Damian hugged him back, the sweat on their brows and the mess on their chests mixed and stuck them together like an obscene glue. 

They stayed this way until they were both on the verge of sleep. With a gentle kiss to Damian's temple, Tim heaved him up and laid him down. He retrieved a pack of baby wipes and cleaned himself off. He wiped up Damian too, pressing tiny kisses to each spot he wiped. Damian watched with an alluring sparkle in his pupils. 

He discarded their mess and laid next to Damian. Their fingers danced with one another and settled into eachother on Damian's abdomen. The ceiling was their chosen entertainment, nothing but their breathing as audio. 

Tim took in every sense. The sweet musky smell of Damian. The tingled he felt anything Damian squeezed his hand over his own. When he closed his eyes he could still see the uncontrolled lust in his boyfriend's eyes as he lowered himself down. The faint taste of their deed still lingered in Tim's mouth, and he'd let it linger for as long as he could keep it there. 

"You truly are one hell of a man Tim." Damian whispered sleepily. Tim laughed through his nose and huddled in close. A little nap wouldnt hurt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you liked it. I'm really proud of this chapter and would love to know what you all thought :D


	52. Impulse Does DIY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Tim enlist Bart to help them.

"No peaking Timothy." Damian called from behind the doors of his room. Tim tapped the doorframe anxiously and sighed. Damian had informed him that he'd made a reservation at the Chinese restaurant they first had a date at. They were booked for 7:10pm and had to leave the Manor at 6:30 just like last time. Damian even managed to reserve the very same table they sat at. 

Jason watched Tim from across the corridor with amusement. He eyed Tim from head to toe, observing him and his clothes. "What's with the getup." he waved his hand over Tim's outfit.

Tim shushed him and walked over. "It's what I was wearing on our first date. He's taking me to our spot." Tim whispered. He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Damian wasn't listening.

"That's sickly sweet. You disgust me." Jason spat. His face betrayed his words, a fleeting smile crossed his mouth before returning to a hard pressed line.

The door cracked open and Damian stepped out in his shiny boots, ass-hugging trousers and green shirt. He laughed at Tim and pulled him into a hug. "You had the same idea then." Damian asked.

"What else would I wear?" Tim brushed off Damian's shoulders and rubbed invisible dirt from his muscled chest as an excuse to touch. 

"You two are fucking made for eachother I swear." Jason shook his head and wandered downstairs.

"It's 6:25 handsome. Shall we get going?" Damian held his hand out to hold and led Tim downstairs after Jason. Tim clocked his nails and admired the attention to detail. 

* * *

Selena, Cass, Duke and Bruce waited with Jason at the bottom of the stairs. Tim flushed red under their scrutiny. "Uhh what's everyone staring for?" He stuttered.

"You both look great." Selena, like Tim, inspected Damian's matching nails and showed them off to Cassandra.

"Anywhere special?" Bruce asked with genuine curiosity.

"Yes actually Father. We are returning to where we had our first date. And we both independently decided to wear the very same outfits we wore that day." Damian puffed up proudly and twirled Tim round under his arm. 

"Will I need earplugs when you get back?" Bruce winced at his own question. Cass smacked him on the stomach and pursed her lips at him.

"No. We are enjoying dinner. Then coming home to sleep and maybe a nightcap. I'd prefer if you didn't ask such questions Father. We didn't when you'd bump around with Selena at 4 in the morning." Damian scolded.

Duke scoffed and nudged Damian. "Your outfits are fresh. I didn't know Tim could dress like that."

"I couldn't. Damian took me clothes shopping on my first week back and helped me revamp my wardrobe." Tim corrected. A beep on the wall security panel signalled that a car had pulled up at the gates. Tim and Damian took their leave and walked down the long driveway to the taxi. "That was wierd right? Why were they all waiting?"

"Because they're nosey Timothy." Damian pulled the door open for Tim and ushered him into the car. "And we look fantastic together."

* * *

The restaurant was exactly as Tim remembered. But it had a distinct lack of people. Tim side-eyed Damian who had a gleeful smile plastered over his features.

"Mr Wayne. Mr Drake." The small lady greeted him. "Everything is as you requested. If you'd follow me gentlemen." She led them to 'their' table and held out two menus.

"There is no need for those, thank you. We will have a small gin and tonic each to start. The vegetable dumplings as a starter. The salt and pepper tofu and vegetable chow mein for our main. And we'll be skipping desert. Could we also have a new gin and tonic with both courses please." Damian reeled off their original order perfectly. The server hurried off to get their drinks.

"You remembered?" Tim grinned from ear to ear.

Damian thanked the lady for their drinks and took a sip. "Of course. I remember everything about that day. Even you mocking me for my lack of proficiency with chopsticks."

Tim chuckled and took a gulp of his drink.

"You will no such opportunity to poke fun tonight Timothy. I spent all week practicing." Damian raised his brow in triumph.

"So you booked the entire place?" Tim asked.

"I had too. I wanted tonight to be perfect." Damian's cheeks tinted as he spoke.

"Aren't you worried about people catching onto the fact we're dating? Booking an entire restaurant for just us looks a little suspicious."

Damian shook his head. "Not at all. In fact I have some ideas about that." Tim nodded for him to continue his point. "I was thinking that we don't announce it at all, ever. These past months have been great, I don't feel like we're missing out by not announcing this publicly. The news hasn't caught on yet. I was hoping we could simply enjoy eachother and retain some privacy. They will all figure it out eventually, but I propose we let the news of our relationship come out naturally."

Tim's lips quirked up. "So we're relinquishing control of it. If it happens it happens and we make no business to hide it but don't show off either?"

"Precisely." Damian confirmed. He downed the last of his drink and watched Tim do the same. 

"I like that. To be honest, I hate the attention Bruce gets constantly for his controversial relationship. I don't think I'd cope well with that." Tim looked into Damian's glittering emerald eyes and invisioned their future. Would they get married? Would they even last that long? Tim considered everything that happened leading to this, their rivalry, their eventual respect, the flirting. Everything happened so suddenly since he returned, they never thought about the future back then. Tim pulled his mind from it's place years from now and wedged it back in the moment, where his boyfriend gazed dreamily back at him. 

Their starter was placed between them. They thanked the lady and picked up their sticks. "Come on then gremlin, show me your skillz." Tim buzzed the 'z' and dodged Damian's harsh reprimanding scowl. 

"I will have you know Drake." He picked up a dumpling with ease. "I am now a master of chopsticks."

"Congratulations, you're a master of a basic life skill." Tim jibed.

"I hate you." Damian popped the dumpling in his mouth and pouted.

"I love you too." Tim smiled sarcastically and stuck his middle finger up.

The food was fantastic, as they expected, they ate their dumplings gratefully and waited for their main course to arrive. "Hey Dami. At what point did we become a thing?" 

Damian hummed in thought. "You have a few choices. Either our first date. My freak out when we decided to start fresh. Or when we officially became boyfriends." 

"Eww no. That'd only mean we've been together nearly 2 months. Let's assume it was from our first date. I've been pretty much exclusive to you since then." Tim smirked. 

"As have I. So to the happy 4 months and 3 weeks we have been with eachother." Damian raised his glass and clinked it with Tim's. They kissed briefly over the table and sat back down ready for their next course that was arriving. 

* * *

They laughed through the door. Tim tried to shut it slowly but failed. It slammed shut and sent echos down the halls of the Manor.

"Shhh." Tim said loudly. He creeped a step the fell over Jason's discarded shoes.

"Timothy." Damian scolded. He giggled while he helped his drunk lover up and sloppily kissed his cheek.

"To the study?" Tim slurred. He licked up Damian's jaw to his ear and laughed when the boy cringed away.

"Of course." Damian pointed dramatically and marched up the stairs. He let Tim drop onto the study couch and booped his nose. "You got the booze last time so I'll get it this time."

He stumbled out into Bruce's office and pondered the selection of bottles. He weighed two up in his hands but could not decide. He took both and danced his way down the hall back to the study. 

"One for the man and the other for the other man." Damian giggled. 

Tim clutched the bottle to his chest and beamed. "My hero!" 

"Father will not be happy. Last time we had time to replace it." Damian plopped down next to him. 

"Fuck it what's two-" Tim squinted down at the bottle. "25 year aged bottles of whiskey eh?" 

They talked about random subjects and giggled into the early hours of the morning until they were passed out. Tim piled neatly into Damian's lap and the younger boy drooling contently on his boyfriend's shoulder. 

* * *

After rushing their hangover out of their bodies, Damian showed Tim the various designs he'd drawn up for their room. Tim suggested little tweaks, which the young man promptly adjusted. They bounced ideas and polished all of the prospect designs. 

"I think this is the one. It feels like the best influences from me and you together" Tim tapped the 10th sheet of paper and pulled it forward. "You like it?"

"I drew it Timothy of course I like it. I would've been pleased with any of these designs. That one is actually the first one I drew." Damian scratched his pencil over a spot near the bed and smiled when it was perfect. 

"Well we should propably start cleaning out our rooms and boxing stuff up ready to move into the new room." Tim doodled stick men on the back of a design. 

"Slow down Timothy this will take weeks. We have furniture to assemble. Walls to take down. Plumbing, Electrics..." 

"You're not thinking outside the box. You would need man power to do this. I need a Bart." Tim stated proudly. "Bart could get our entire room done in a day. All we need is to have everything ready for him and have our rooms emptied." 

"He's agreed to this?" Damian asked. 

"No. But Bart would love to meet you properly after all these years and loves doing things like this." Tim tapped the pages. "He can read anything and remember it, but he rarely gets to put the knowledge into practice. I'll offer him anything he wants if he can spare a day for us."

"That's a lot to ask of your friend Timothy. It feels like we'd be using him." Damian scratched his neck apprehensively.

"I wouldn't use my friend. Trust me, we have a enough money to get him whatever he wants as payment." 

"If you're sure, we can start cleaning the rooms out tomorrow." Damian offered. 

"Absolutely. This will look great." Tim bounced with joy and knocked his head off Damian's shoulder. 

* * *

"Thanks for coming Steph!" Tim led her up the stairs to his room and let her walk in. Damian was meticulously sorting things into bin and keep piles. The undecided pile in the middle was bigger than both the bin and keep piles put together.

"Are you kidding, all this shit from when we were 14 is a goldmine. And there's guaranteed to be some of my stuff here too." Steph picked up a pair of Tim's old jeans and frowned at the shapeless, boring waste of denim. "Have you got everything?"

"It's all on its way. The bed, paint, units, all of it. Timothy has yet to speak to Bart but is confident he'll agree." Damian eyed the hole ridden sock in his hand with disgust and threw it in the bin pile.

"Cut me some slack today alright! I moved out of here years ago. I'd only stay here for a night when I was home then go back to the nest or the tower." Tim snatched an old Nirvana shirt from Steph and cradled it.

"Fine. Fine. What needs sorting?" Steph pushed her hands onto her hips and looked around.

"Wardrobe. Me and Damian are tackling under the bed." Tim maneuvered one box out from under the wooden frame and swiped the dust away. Steph got to work, throwing shapeless old clothes away and keeping his new clothes and sentimental tshirts that still fit.

"Timothy! When you said skater I thought you know, heaven is half-pipe type of skater. Not using it for the night job?" Damian pulled a red skateboard out and turned it over. Tim's trademark stylised 'R' was still visible under the small layer of dust.

"Yep. That's how I got around when I didn't have the original redbird. Dad took it off off me when I was sent to Brentwood. So a skateboard was the next best thing." Tim answered.

"Tell him what you called the skateboard Tim. Go on." Stephanie jeered.

"It's called the red-board." Tim sighed defeatedly. Steph and Damian laughed at him and poked fun. "I'll teach you to skate sometime, at least there will be something you're shit at that I can make fun of." Tim opened a box and chuckled at it's contents. "Steph, here's something for you." He handed her a curled up photo

The photo was of Tim and Stephanie when they were 13-14ish. The were taken by Mrs Brown, Tim and a young Steph were huddled in the living room laughing and sharing dinner. It was a sweet photo, except it wasn't Tim.

"Ahh yes, Alvin Draper. The love of my life." Steph was comically dazed. Damian raised his eyebrow. "Alvin was Tim's go to disguise. I only knew him as Robin for months. Then it was Alvin. The disguise was really good, mom couldn't tell. I mean she hated you at first but she got used to it. That's when I dumped Alvin and got with Tim. Go figure mom."

A sticky strip of fake hair stuck to Damian's cheek. "That was the goatee I used. Aaaand this was the wig." Tim pulled a mass of matted hair over his head and posed.

"Oh Timothy. However did you pull off a mullet?" Damain shook his head and tried on the wig for himself.

"It wasn't a mullet! Just very long slicked back hair. I'm the best undercover in the family. I even went undercover as a woman and pulled it off." Tim rummaged around for his 'Caroline' wig and makeup.

"He looked hot as a woman. I won't lie." Steph said nonchalantly. 

They powered through Tim's room. Sorting and finding old treasures. Steph found little bits of hers: rings, an old Spoiler costume, a hoodie that she screamed at and shrugged on immediately. The pile of clothes they deemed worthy of donating to charity was bigger than the rest of Tim's wardrobe. Tim made them move the bed a fraction so he could access his secret compartment under the floor.

"Of course you have a secret compartment." Steph groaned.

Tim fished out a shoebox and brushed it off. He opened the lid and carefully lifted out the contents. "Look at this old thing." He held a small metal pole, no bigger than a water bottle.

"What is that?" Damian asked. The look of awe and smile of adoration in Tim's eyes spurred his curiosity.

Tim motioned for them to stand back. He whipped his arm and extended the staff. "This is my first ever staff. A gift from Lady Shiva." He weighed the pole in his hands and smirked at all the memories this hunk of metal held. "Listen to this, this is the best part." He twirled the staff and gave them a performance. A disorientating whistle bounced around the room. "I used to be so little and couldn't put that much power into my hits. I used this to distract criminals. I got King Snake with this."

"What an amazing little weapon." Damian marvelled.

"What else is in that box?" Steph peeked over and tried to get a good look.

Tim pulled out a tattered ring bound book. "The Robin War Journal." he pulled out another tattered book. "The Robin War Journal - volume 2. And finally: volume 3. The first two were taken by my dad when he found out I was Robin so I started and new one."

Damian flicked through the books and saw pages and pages of writing about Tim's experiences. "You documented all your time as Robin?"

"Yep I got up to entry 183 as Robin, then only about 26 more when I became Red Robin. Then I gave up when moved into the nest, left the books here." Tim opened a page at the beginning of the third book. That's where you come in, you're welcome to read it if you don't mind me badmouthing you for a whole page."

"You're serious?" Damian said in disbelief.

"You want to know me? It's all in them." Tim shrugged. "All of that is in the past so I don't care if you read it. My life could be an open book for you, all I ask is that you don't judge me for what I said in there. I was young, too brave and my life was a mess. It's not all sunshine and rainbows in there."

"Thank you Timothy. I'd love an insight into your life before I was here." Damian closed the book carefully and popped the trilogy on the bed.

"There's a few pictures and other bits in the box. Ariana's first love letter to me. A picture of me and Ives. My Mom and Dad's wedding rings. Dad and Dana's wedding rings. My first roll of film. My actual first picture of Batman and Robin, it's a bit blurry. My first picture of Batman and his new Robin. My first domino mask. Just some sentimental stuff." Tim placed each item on the bed as he listed it.

"Oh Ariana. That's the one you cheated on with me right?" Steph asked.

"Hello? I'm gay and it was 2007, I was cheating on the both of you with Zac Efron. I just didn't know it yet. I was a confused boy." Tim quipped. An ugly laugh tore out of Damian, he buried his face in a pillow and giggled away.

"So what do we need to do for demon's room?" Steph ignored the last comment and changed the subject.

"If you did want to help, you could help me box some clothes. Me and Timothy will be living out of my room." Damian rose to his feet and gathered some things in a box. "I don't have much clutter. Aside from paintings and stacks of sketchbooks there is only clothes and weapons."

"That don't sound so bad. Just clothes." Steph and Tim followed Damian into his room.

"You haven't seen how many he has." Tim warned.

Damian slid open his wardrobe and revealed the full wall of rails and drawers. "Holy high fashion Batman!" Steph exclaimed.

"It is a lot, but there are some clothes here that don't fit me but would fit Timothy. Everything has a use." Damian adjusted some hangers and tapped the door.

"Fuck what did I get myself into." Steph pinched her nose and tore her eyes away from the mass of fabric.

"You could box up my dresser instead?" Damian pointed to the table and mirror in the corner. Steph 'wooshed' relief and walked over to the messy dresser. She sampled the nail polishes and held them up against her clothes. "Don't even think about it Brown." Damian scolded.

* * *

Spoiler and Batman tore out of the Batcave, leaving Tim and braving the night. Stephanie stayed for dinner and left for patrol from the Manor rather than go home. Tim trudged back upstairs and stared into his shell of a room. He retrieved the photo of Bruce and Jason swinging through the city and creeped down the corridor. He slid it under Jason's bedroom door with a note.

We found this today. It's my first ever picture of the two of you. I get if you throw it in the trash. As sentimental as it is to me, you deserve to have it and decide its fate - Timmers

He clicked open Damian's door and laid on the bed. It was odd, his bed felt less used and fresher. Titus hopped up and laid his head on Tim's abdomen. "You bored too?" Tim said to the dog. He scratched behind Titus' ears and felt them prick up at his words. "You gonna help me start on under his bed?" Titus hopped up and laid staring at under the bedframe.

Tim pulled a box out and flicked through he date organised sketchbooks. The drawings were stunning. Tim was immersed in the slice of Damian's world. Each drawing held a different emotion, some were light and delicate: Damian was calm. Others were dark, harsh lines and scratchy shading. The anger clawed it's way out the page.

Beautiful sketches of Dick filled the entirety of one book. Dick's smile, his lean body twisted and contorted mid-somersault, a study of his bright oceanic eyes.

Tim checked the date of this book: 2010. _His first year knowing us. All these pictures of Dick are from his time as Batman._

Tim kept the boxes as they were: perfectly filed and organised. He simply taped them up and moved them out into the corridor with his own boxes.

At the very back of his bed, tucked up against the wall, was a smaller box. It was innocent in every way, but the do not touch sign piqued his curiosity. He was sure not to disturb the dust on the lid, he manevuered it off carefully and inspected the contents.

Dozens of letters were shoved into the box and left unsent and unsealed. All of them addressed to two recipients: 'Timothy Drake & Red Robin.'

 _What? Why?_ Tim's brain stalled. His hands worked on instinct, sliding the top letter from it's envelope.

> To Timothy,
> 
> I am writing to you to apologise. For treating you disrespectfully, assaulting you and being an altogether unpleasant person to live with.
> 
> My actions were unacceptable...And this sounds like I'm apologising to a fucking classmate for stealing their pen FUCK!!! 

Tim replaced the scribbled out letter and opened another with shaking hands.

> Dear Red Robin,
> 
> I am in Los Angeles with Superboy for two weeks and I was hoping we could meet up for tea and clear the air.
> 
> I will make sure I am available for you, anytime you wish to meet. I understand I have hurt you and I also understand that you may wish to decline my invitation. In the event of your declination, I understand your decision and hope you have a safe and joyous Christmas.
> 
> From Robin.  
>   
> 

Tim couldn't help it, this was grossly violating Damian's privacy and dredging up the past. But he couldn't help himself, he kept reading.

> Dear Timothy,
> 
> I wanted to write to you to apologise for being (to put it frankly) an asshole. I have deeply hurt you and alienated you. I called you names and assaulted you. All of which I know there is no way of making up for.
> 
> I hope you can accept my apology. The truth is that the more I study you on the Batcomputer, the more I see who you truly are. You are a fantastic and brilliant man in all aspects of your life and I reduced you down to an outsider and made you feel unwelcome.
> 
> If you would indulge me, I want to get to know you better and start fresh. I understand that in our lives we make enemies for life, but I want us to attempt to break this tradition and find common ground. I would be honoured if one day I could call you an ally. I would be forever in your debt if I could eventually call you a friend.
> 
> I understand if you never want to speak to me or see me again, I honestly expect you to take this course of action. I will respect the decision you make.
> 
> From Damian.

Tim leafed through each and every letter, each letter said a little more than the last and in a different way. He saw one last envelope at the bottom of the box and steeled himself.

> Dear Tim.
> 
> I have written and re-rewritten this letter dozens of times and I can't get it right. Too formal, too self-centered, too guarded. I never end up sending them. So in this letter I speak from the heart.
> 
> With every ounce of truth and honestly I have in my body I say to you: I'm so, so sorry for how I treated you. It is pathetic that that is all I have to say, but my sorry is a loaded word. There is nothing I can possibly say to make it right. My actions were vile and disgusting. I realise that the scars I inflicted will never go away. The deep ugly scars of me alienating you from the family. Me putting you down constantly when you're self esteem was at its worst.
> 
> I would really like to say this in person as there is a great deal I cannot put into words. I do not deserve your time nor your attention but I would like to apologise properly, even if it is the last thing I do before never seeing you again. If you decline then I understand. I wish you joy, fufillment and a good life. A good man like you deserves the best.
> 
> -Damian.  
>   
> 

Tim put all the letters back and replaced the box where he found it. Damian could not know he'd seen them. There was no need to open up that pool of guilt again.

 _It wasn't his fault. He was a product of his upbringing. I understood!_ Tim argued to himself. _That's why he exploded after we kissed. We started fresh while he still felt guilty._

Tim curled up and let the smell of Damian's pillow send him off to sleep, where he hoped he wouldn't dream of the time they'd lost. Tim wished that when he woke up, he'd have forgotten all about his discovery.

* * *

"Are you sure this wall isn't load-bearing?" Tim worried. He adjusted his safety goggles and shuffled nervously on the spot.

"Yes Timothy. I looked at the plans for the house to double check. The joists run that way and so does the wall." Damian rubbed Tim's shoulder to calm him.

"Are you sure? I won't be the one ruining Wayne Manor because you thought you knew it all."

Damian cackled. "Yes I'm sure. This entire section of the Manor was rebuilt after the quake in 2008. The other side of the Manor, the one we don't use, is riddled with load bearing walls. The new materials used on this side to rebuild it mean the joists are longer, they run nearly the entire width of the house. I promise you Timothy this wall can come down, there aren't even electrics of plumbing."

"Alright." Tim breathed. "I trust you. Where are the sledgehammers?"

"I knew watching those DIY shows would get to you." Damian shook his head. "Do you want to do it that way or the cleaner way?"

"The messy way. I promise I'll help you clean up." Tim vibrated with joy as Damian left to get the hammers.

The entire morning they had dismantled all of Tim's furniture and put in the skip outside. With some help from Jason, they moved the bed and wardrobe in the room next door, into a completely empty room at the end of the Manor. The wall was ready to be demolished and their plans were well underway.

They got stuck in, hammering away at the wall and blowing drywall across the room. The wall came down fast, they cut the wood into smaller pieces and bundled it into buckets.

Once the space was vacuumed and cleaned they stood in the huge empty space and took it in.

"This is huge!" Duke poked his head though their new door. "I'm jealous."

The extra room they had absorbed was one of the smallest bedrooms in the house. But the addition made the room feel 3 times as big.

"By tonight this will be a shell. Ready for Kid Flash to do his thing." Damian started to strip wallpaper from their additional space.

"He's not Kid Flash anymore. He want back to Impulse. Said there was no sense in two of them running around." Tim corrected.

"I like Wallace. The younger one. We didn't get along very well at first but he's an admirable team mate." Damian mused.

"So are you two doing this from memory or is there a plan?" Duke asked. Tim handed him the blueprint, sketch and final render Damian had made. Duke whistled and nodded approval, "that's a bold choice. I like it. So is there anything you can't do Damian?"

"Nope. I am a genius. A perfect human. My skills are limitless. Bow before the might of the Demon's head." Damian said absentmindedly while gathering curls of wallpaper to put in the bin.

"You see I can never tell when you're joking when you say shit like that." Duke helped Damian clean up. Batman gave him a sideways look which only furthered Duke's confusion.

"He's not a perfect human. He over analysises everything, pisses like 50 times a day, gets completely anal if something isn't in the right place. I could go on but he's far from perfect. That's just how I like him though." Tim said sweetly.

"If you want skin like mine you have to drink water. I keep telling you this." Damian whined.

"I'll help if you'd let me." Duke offered. 

"Well Duke. I am going to finish stripping the wallpaper then take the drywall off this wall here." Damian pointed at the wall facing the hallway. "And I'm going to put new insulation blocks in and new sheets of plasterboard. That door is coming out, and we're keeping the doorway from the new room, the new door is a soundproofed one. I'll seal up the old doorway and build the wall over it. Luckily the paint to match the hallway was easy to get."

"Gross, no one else needs soundproofing, it's only you two that are at it like rabbits." Duke cringed.

"Well you all complained so no noise will escape this room, good for when Damian practices his instruments too." Tim threw up his hands. "I've got a new voice activated alarm system that will kick in when we set a panic word. It's a bit less effective then just y'know screaming help but we want to have loud sex and play the violin. Could we do that at the same time Dami?"

"Jeez I was not prepared for this shit. Is it too late to go to an orphanage? You know I purposely avoid using my powers when I'm here. I don't want to see what sort of splatters are in this house. I don't want to see the back a couple of hours in this room or anywhere. I just tap out and give the powers a break." Duke shuddered.

"You seriously trying to tell me you've never had obnoxiously loud drunk sex in the dorms at college and pissed off everyone in the building?" Tim questioned Duke.

Signal looked away and stratched his brow. "I didn't say I've never done it. I'm just judging you two because this is a family home."

"I've lived here for 10 years Duke." Damian grunted. "The things I've walked in on and heard have scarred me. This is a home. We are a family. This is not a PG family home."

"I'm going to get food and see who I can pester. Are you two going to be fine getting on with out me, you know the expert in all this." Tim nudged Duke. "I can help if you need me too."

"Go Timothy. Go annoy Todd." Damian instructed. Tim kissed him on the cheek and left Duke and Damian to crack on.

* * *

While Damian and Duke finished preparing their room Tim decided to text Impulse and see if he was willing to do the job. It wouldn't matter if he couldn't, they could simply hire the help to finish it. Although that would take much more time then they were expecting. 

> **Contact: Bart 🏃**
> 
> Hey Bart. Would you be willing to do me and Damian a massive favour and help us for an entire day. I'll pay you anyway you want, money is no object. 
> 
> Ahhhhh Timmy!! Of course I'll help. What is it you neef
> 
> We're redecorating and we were hoping you could do it really fast for us. Paint, wallpaper, lay flooring and build furniture. 
> 
> Absolurely. Count me in. I never ger to do stuff like this. 
> 
> So what do you want as a repayment. Literally anything for you. What you're doing for us is huge. 
> 
> Anythinh ???? 
> 
> Anything Bart. We're rich. If I can buy it then it's yours. 
> 
> I wanr 10 crates of Zesti.
> 
> A selfie with Batmab. 
> 
> 100 pacjs of Doritos. 
> 
> A PS5.
> 
> A new phonw, like the bestest phone ever . 
> 
> A new showet for my room in the tower. Like one of those squsre ones that rains on me like a watwrfall. 
> 
> A spa day. I want a bacj rub and soak in a jacuzzi. 
> 
> Can you also deck out my wardrobr with new designer stuff. Lots of sneakwrs 
> 
> And I wanna have a datr with Spoiler 😍
> 
> Is that it? Seriously you can have anything. 
> 
> Thats all I can tjink of
> 
> Done. Let me know if you want anything else. Also I can't guarantee you a date with Steph but you're free to ask her yourself. 
> 
> So tommoirrw? 
> 
> If that's okay. 
> 
> Surrrre ill see ya bright and earlt! 
> 
> Thanks Bart :) 

"Oh damn." Tim sighed. Jason looked up and stared questioningly at him. "Bart is gonna do it all tommorow but he wants a date with Steph." 

Jason snorted a laugh and shook his head. "You didn't say yes to that right? Steph will kill you."

"I said he could ask her but I couldn't guarantee it. Steph isn't still dating that James guy is she?" Tim asked. 

"He got caught cheating. Steph broke the fingers he had up the other girl." Cass said from behind Tim suddenly. He gulped and wondered what Steph might do to him for not shooting Bart's idea down right away. 

* * *

The knocking was obnoxious. It was loud. It was early. It was everything Damian expected of Bart. The security feed showed him speed-knocking the front door while battering the doorbell in quick succession.

While still in his cape and cowl, Damian bounded up the cave stairs and through the living room to the door. "It's 5am Allen!" he growled. Damian had not dropped his lower Batman voice. 

"Oh hey. You must be Damian." Bart flew past him and examined him at a speed quicker than Damian could react to. He lifted Damian's cape. He flipped back his cowl and took his best friend's partner in. "You're not as big as your dad. Still a hunk of muscle though, look at these." Bart poked Damian's abdomen and squished his biceps.

"Mr Allen it's just gone 5am. Why are you here?" Damian said tiredly. 

"I was in New York last night. I couldn't wait to be here so I came early. Although I didn't really account for how long it'd take me." Bart tapped his foot and looked down. "I can come back, I just thoughtthatmaybeyoualldidntsleepandwouldalreadybeawake."

"No its fine. Timothy is still sleeping though. What do speedsters drink? Tea?" 

Bart vibrated and beamed with joy. "Ma Kent always makes me tea. Thank you that'd be great, youknowafunfactaboutteais-" 

"I am grateful for your help Mr Allen, but please can you slow down for me please." Damian interupted in the politely way he could. 

"Sure thing Mr Wayne." 

"Damian, I only get called Mr Wayne in formal settings."

Bart shook Damian's hand fast and grinned. "Call me Bart then." Impluse whizzed away and was waiting for Damian in the kitchen. Despite his need for action and movement, he waited politely and patiently while Damian brewed a pot. Bart blew the first cup and downed it, then replaced the liquid with a serving he would sip. 

"You're really good looking. The magazines really don't do you justice. You're off the scale." Bart complimented while fanning his face dramatically. 

"Thank you?" Damian's voice rose. _How do I respond to that. I don't know this man._ he thought. 

"Can I get a selfie then. I told Tim my requests. I would say demands but this isn't like a hostage situation." 

"Sure. I thought you meant my father. That is a selfie you definitely wouldn't get. He's off with my mother right now so that's two less intimidating presences you need to deal with." Damian pulled his cowl over and motioned for Bart to follow him. Once they were in the cave Bart extended his phone and smiled with all the teeth possible. Damian held a reserved smirk to humour Bart's request. "I'm surprised you didn't ask for anything more." Damian said as he sat back at the kitchen breakfast bar. 

"I'm not greedy. Besides you two are really doing me a favour. I have all this stuff rattling around in my head but I never get to do it. The bigger the job the better. It'll be crash." Bart gesticulated as he spoke. He spoke about how he could in theory build an entire bridge by himself and other wild claims. Damian humoured him, he nodded and listened while Bart rambled. 

To Damian it was amusing, Bart's sunshine eyes sparkled in the morning sun as he got excited about random oddities. He could see why Tim liked this ball of excitability and childish innocence. 

Jason walked in and missed Bart completely. He grumbled nonsense under his breath and rummaged through the fridge for food. Bart was frozen to his seat and stared at Jason's every move. His eyes seemed to avoid the mass of ugly scars and hulking muscle, they simply followed the back of his head in a mix of fear and curiosity. 

When Jason did acknowledge the speedster, he waved and pulled the spoon from his jaw. "So you're Bart?" 

"You're the Red Hood." Bart said in a lower voice. 

"Yeah?" Jason gestured for him to reach a point. 

"You're so cool. Aside from breaking into the tower that time. After you stopped being all crazy you became literally the coolest. Star always speaks nicely about you." Bart gushed. 

"Yeah we don't bring that up." Jason shivered and shovelled a new spoonful of yogurt in his mouth. 

"I think your statue is one of the better ones too. They really got the face right on yours." Bart said casually. 

"Excuse me? Did I not make a big deal about how I didn't have a statue?" Jason stepped forward and towered himself over the small runner. 

"Did Tim never tell you? When you went straight with Arsenal and Starfire he had one commissioned." Bart held up his hand and disappeared. Just 2 minutes later he was back holding his cracked phone up to Jason. The statue was like the others, almost like it had been there all along. A little Jason, in his Robin costume standing tall in marble next to an older grizzled Arsenal. Both of them side by side in the hall of fallen Titans. 

Jason's heart broke. He couldn't believe Tim had taken his remark made in anger and brought it to a reality. Jason was a Titan too. Tim had acknowledged that. Arsenal looked disheveled, gritty and worn. Exactly as Jason remembered him, not the smiley bright Speedy that stood outside the outlandish 'T' shape with the other founders. 

Jason grunted and left without another word. Damian cursed Bart for his honesty and was thankful when Tim appeared behind them both to alleviate the awkwardness. 

"Tim!" Bart hugged the sleepy Timothy with too much energy for 6:12am.

"Hey man." Tim patted the unruly mess of hair on Bart's head and shuffled off to put the coffee machine on. He kissed Damian lazily and slumped into a seat. 

"Do you not care about morning breath?" Bart pulled a grossed out face. 

"Damian hasn't gone to sleep yet. He's still on last night breath." Tim yawned. 

"I don't need sleep. I'm not scheduled for patrol tonight, I'll just turn in early." Damian got up and poured a coffee for Tim. He set it down in front of his lover and wrapped his cape over him. 

"I feel like I'm intruding." Bart confessed. 

"Nonsense." Damian said. "You are giving up your day for us. You are our guest. Give me a moment to change and I will make breakfast for everyone." Damian smiled tightly at Bart and left to change clothes. 

"I know I've met him before but he was a shit back then. I was lead to believe he was still a bit of an ass hat. Wallace said he was hard to get along with." Bart whispered even though Damian was well out of earshot. 

"He is hard to get along with. He's being nice because you're my friend. If you were a complete stranger, you'd get the business Damian. Cold, reserved and rude." 

* * *

Bart ate 3 servings of breakfast. He greeted Duke with a hug but not Cassandra, (the Bat who actually liked hugs). He was uncharacteristically shy around her and kept a respectful and fearful distance. The bats went about their day, Duke went into town. Cassandra went to work and Jason to the Iceberg Lounge. 

Bart looked at the plans and committed them to memory. His set up was oddly methodical for the impulsive boy. He sped outside and brought all the slabs of flooring into the hallway. He hoisted rolls of underlay into the room and counted them out. 

"This is gonna be so fun. I don't have to cut anything either, just speed up my hand and split it that way." Bart waved his blurry hand and giggled. On the dustsheet outside he set out a dozen energy drinks and snack bars. "You might wanna watch from Batman's room or the hallway. This is gonna get fast and I don't want to trip up and spill paint on the carpets."

Tim and Damian stepped back and watched curiously. Bart pounded an energy drink and shook himself. He lunged and stretched, limbered himself up for the task ahead. He sucked a deep breath in, then turned into a blur. 

The underlay appeared in seconds, cut to the new increased floorspace. Each slab of grey coloured flooring slotted onto the ground like a tetris game. Bart worked methodically, he laid each panel and tore across the room until it was completely covered with the new slate effect floor. 

He appeared before the couple with his second can of drink. "I'm gonna paint and wallpaper now. Don't worry everything I'm doing will stay off the floor. When I'm building I'll put down protection. I'll have to close the door because I'm gonna make a fan with my arms at superspeed." 

He zipped away and reappeared with a stepladder under his arms. "See ya soon!" He saluted and stepped into the room. Tim and Damian talked between themselves, Tim told him some of Bart's funny stories while they couldn't see what was going on.

Bart sat and munched on a power bar in the middle of the hallway half an hour later. Damian peered into the room and nodded approval. "Very good Bart. You're extremely precise."

"This is so crash. I want to redecorate everyone's room in the tower. This is so fun." Bart chomped through a few power bars and downed a drink. At a normal speed he walked a pile of dust sheets into the room and laid them out in the space. He popped on a hard hat, goggles and a comically large utility belt with an absurd amount of tools. After shooting them a set of finger guns he set to work building their furniture. It rose off the floor slowly. The couple caught glimpses of Bart measuring carefully and marking off places to cut. 

The furniture rose from the floor in a disorientating live time-lapse. The wood turned from a tan to white in a wave. Bart flapped his hands to dry the paint and started on the other wardrobe. "I'm gonna close the door. I'm getting close to finished so I don't wantcha to see!" Impulse called. 

Tim and Damian retired to their temporary room and a cracked on with WE work. The sound of rapid hammering and light footsteps was the soundtrack of their day. 

Bart appeared with his arm around Damian, he was tucked up under their duvet and beamed at the pair. "I'm all done. Can I put the stuff in your wardrobes and put all your bits up? I want to do the finishing touches." 

"If you want. I mean we were gonna do that later-" Tim blinked and Bart was gone. The leftover clothes that weren't packed up disappeared from Damian's wardrobe. The couple stepped out of Damian's now empty room and approached Bart. He stood at the closed door tapping his foot and grinning cheesily. All the rubbish was gone, the hallway was clear again. 

"I hope you guys like this. This is the most fun I've had since beating the nearly everyone in the world at Fortnite." Bart opened the door and let the pair walk into their new space. 

The space was magnificent, their plan was fully realised.

The leather bed was made up and ready to sleep in. The half wall partition Damian bravely suggested rose up behind it, separating their new dressing space and bathroom from the sleeping area. Each bedside table had an abstract glass lamp emitting a soft glow. 

Their TV was the only sizeable object on their feature wall. The stark black rectangle was contrasted by the silver and royal blue liquid marble wallpaper. The long and low down shelf was littered with framed photos. Damian and Dick. Tim and his Young Justice friends. Right in the corner, a set of two photographs with a candle burning in front of them caught Tim's eye. He stepped closer and held the pictures in his hand. Tim and his parents, and Tim with Jack and Dana. A small chain with each couples wedding rings was draped over their respective frames. 

"Thank you." Tim choked out. 

Bart smiled and pointed to Damian. "His idea." Bart whizzed over to Tim's side. "Come I want to show you the wardrobes."

The wall and the partition were covered by long mirrors with little handles poking out. Damian slid the reflected doors to one side and saw all his clothes and shoes neatly organised. 

Bart laid on the soft blue bench between the wardrobes and pointed in either direction. "Tim's on the right, Damian's on the left. Or the other way round if stand over by the bathroom. Actually a better way of saying it is Tim's on the actual wall and Damian's wardrobe is the partition wall." 

Bart was up and leafing through Tim's clothes. "You don't even fill two sections Rob. You need to go on a shopping spree." 

"Hmm. Maybe we could take another day off work and go shopping tomorrow Dami?" Tim pushed up his eyebrow in the mirror and smiled. 

"Come on guys. I wanna show you a couple of things I did." Bart tugged each boy by their sleeves. He lifted up the bed and listed what he'd put there. "In here we've got assorted weapons, a violin, a flute and an easel. Then at the back there's spare sheets, and a space to put all those pillows if you don't fancy sleeping on a thousand of them."

In an instant all the white glossy cupboard doors were open under the long photo shelf. "Over there we have art supplies. All the paints are colour ordered and in sets: acrylic, oil, and water colours." He was leafing through a sketchbook in the next blink. "This one has date ordered sketchbooks in the top part and stacks of the small canvases. New on the right, painted ones on the left."

He laid on the floor between the last two cupboards. "This one is empty and the next one can be used for shit. That's what I did. Any odds and ends I just shoved there." Bart closed all the cupboard doors and starfished on their bed. "Do you like it?" 

Tim pulled the speedster up and hugged him. "I love it. Thank you Bart."

"It is exceptional work. Thank you for your time today." Bart's head was smushed onto Damian's chest in the next instant. 

"Im so glad you like it. If you all need the Manor redecorated then I'm your guy. I haven't been able to cut loose and just do something like this in forever." Bart vibrated and snapped an abrupt picture of the trio. He ran around the room snapping photos of his work. "I can't wait to show everyone what I did!"

* * *

Tim ordered all of Bart's requests, including a new TV as a last minute addition Bart made after seeing Tim's. His spa day was booked. The plumber was installing a new shower the next day. Tim rang Steph to let Bart ask her on a date; she said no, but Bart didn't take it to heart.

After a shopping spree on every designer site Bart wanted, he left them both with a hug and a wet kiss on the cheek. Finally the house was silent and Impulse was like a kid on Christmas. 

Jason, Duke and Cass spent ages gawping and marvelling at the transformed space. 

"This is an interior designers wet dream." Duke laughed. "This is awesome." 

"It's very you." Cass pointed between Damian and Tim. "It feels like both of yours." 

"So what's going on with this wall?" Jason knocked on the long, simply painted wall backing up onto the hallway.

"I was actually going to use all of Timothy's photos and make a collage. Just as he had it. But with way more pictures." Damian surveyed the wall and measured it up with his hands. 

"Holy shit!" Selena and Bruce stood in the doorway and went slack jawed at the room. "We only went away on Saturday. How did you manage this? Is this what the giant dumpster is for outside?" Bruce asked in disbelief. 

"When a Wayne orders something to arrive as quickly as possible, it comes the next day. And Timothy asked Impulse to help." Damian answered. 

"Bruce their room looks better than ours." Selena whispered with a disappointed expression. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Bart. Enough said.
> 
> I've got a big development and some time skips coming up in the next few chapters. Stay tuned.
> 
> Did anyone catch the easter egg to real life when they were cleaning out Tim's room?


	53. Batman in Blüdhaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real life intervened so this chapter is a little late. I hate leaving it this long.

"Right Timothy your grip strength is about 2/3rds of what it used to be. I'd say that's a pretty good recovery." Damian held up the x ray of Tim's hand and examined it with the notes from other tests and examinations. "Shall we go train?"

Tim hopped up and strapped his gauntlets on. "You don't even know how much I've missed this. I ran drills with Rose at the tower but it's not the same."

"We're still going to take it easy. Just staff work today. You're still not 100% Timothy." Damian threw Tim a light wooden staff.

"I know. I know." Tim moaned. He twirled the staff round and tried to grip it normally. The shock absorbing tech in his glove made it impossible. He took out one layer of the shock fibres and discarded it. His hand could now curl around the staff properly. "That's better."

They went through a variety of drills. Each one refreshed Tim's mind on proper form and technique. He didn't need it, picking the staff up again and donning his costume flicked the switch on. It wasn't even a skill anymore for Tim. He was nearing 15 years since becoming Robin, it was an instinct, a reflex. The training mud assailant came at him and his body responded.

Hand to hand drills resulted in the same reflex. Damian threw a blow, Tim blocked it and returned with equal force.

The issue was stamina. Being out of the game for months had taken its toll. Not only did Tim's costume hang off him where the muscle was gone, but his benching also meant all forms of strenuous exercise were off the table. After an hour his lungs burned and tightened in his chest. Tim pushed through the searing pain until he could taste the acid rising in this throat. He emptied his stomach into the bin and collapsed on the floor.

His pleasant view of the cave ceiling was replaced by the unpleasant view of his boyfriend scowling at him. "You imbecile. Why did you not stop? You cannot push your limits like that. I won't let you hurt yourself." Damian scolded. 

The hand helping him up squeezed a little too hard as the first of his numerous punishments. "I hate this."

"What?" Damian spat. A bottle of water was forcefully pushed under his nose and the staff was ripped from his hand.

"I hate that I'm so out of it. I designed these programs and I can't beat them. You know I have the tower's speed record for the 100 program."

The 100 programs was one of Tim's specific design. 100 assailants in waves of 5. Each with a higher programed skill than the last. The program was specifically tuned to each of the Titans. So a Kryptonian or Amazon competed with threats to match their power level. Currently, Tim held the record at 2 minutes 26 seconds. A full 20 seconds quicker than Jaime who was next on the leader board.

"Tim this will take time. You can't push yourself like that." Damian's tone was softer but still with a razor edge.

"I know. I really fucking know but I thought training again would help. Like something would slot into place." Tim took his gloves off and rubbed his sweaty face. The water soothed his stinging throat, ready for his next rambling. "I came back to Gotham as a way of finding Tim Drake. This is my home. You know I love you but all I've done is get into a relationship. I've done nothing for me but suck at my new job and nearly get killed. My life is still in the same place."

Damian twirled his sword on the ground. "You stress me out Tim. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and sulking. Pushing yourself to far like that is just a way of lashing out and acting like a child. Take responsibility and stop being foolish."

"Thanks. I'm awash with love." Tim grumbled.

"Your listening to the insults, but not what I'm saying." Damian held the sword over his shoulder and looked sternly at Tim. His emerald gaze peered right into Tim's heart.

"You could've gone to an Ivy University if you wanted to. You could have kept the majority shares in Wayne Enterprises and lead it yourself if you wanted to. You want a clear path, an obvious next step. That's your entire problem." Damian said in a strong voice.

Tim looked up and met Damian's gaze. 

"You're waiting for an invitation to go down a clear path but you've reached the end of it. Gotham is the end of it. Any path you go down now, you're going to have to cut out for yourself. Tim you were trained by Batman. You have led the Teen Titans. You have fought and won incredible battles and done the impossible." Damian flipped his sword down and used the point to tilt Tim's chin up into a proud position. "What do you do with your life? You do anything you damn well please."

Tim held back a smile and bit his lip.

"Tell me Timothy, what do you want to do in life? Where does Tim Drake stand in Gotham, and what step is he going to make." Damian asked.

Tim slipped his gloves on and wrenched the sword from Damian's grip. He threw some testing blows and put Damian on the back foot. "I won't give up my job. I'm going to take that list of assistants you made and find one. It's time I grew up and stopped avoiding a real job. I'm good at it, I'm gonna show everyone."

"Good Tim." Damian congratulated Red Robin on both his technique and his resolve to further his career.

"I want my passion back. You brought me that camera, I'm gonna use it. I want people to see my work. I have hundreds of photos just wasted on old SD cards. I want to have an exhibition. I want people to know I'm more." Tim grunted. 

He landed a hit on Damian's cheek and pressed the offensive. Damian smiled gleefully and jeered Tim on. "I want to be better at this. I want to be the best staff wielder on the planet. You will work me like a dog, push me past any limit I have. I want to work out properly and be bigger. It's not for you or anyone else it's for me. I used to be way more muscular, and I want to be like I was then. I want that for me. And you're going to help."

"Damn right I will." Damian held his hands up and conceeded. He walked to the side or the training platform and guzzle some water. "I know you didn't expect to get in a relationship when you came back. If you need me to I'll step back a bit. I'm not just your boyfriend Tim. I'm your greatest ally. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. Because I love you and I want you to feel complete and successful."

Tim stepped up and kissed Damian briefly. "I know, you've been great these last months. I love you too."

Damian's hand swiped through Tim's soaked hair. "The nights not over yet handsome. Patrol duty is covered and we need to work on your endurance."

Tim chewed his lips and gripped Damian's waist. "Oh right?"

Damian removed Tim's hands and turned him around. "Yes and the treadmill is an excellent place to start." He smacked Tim's ass and shoved him in the direction of the gym.

* * *

"Load up. This needs to be in the Blüd by the morning."

Batman had tracked a deal down to the Upper West Side, on the border of Chinatown. he could've busted them there and then. But an entire truck filled with Tranq and guns had to lead somewhere. After Red Hood got rid of the two biggest dealers of the drug, there was only a gram here and there to get off the street.

This truck had come through Gotham from the north. Instead of passing right through, it had been stopped in Gotham so the contents could be checked and verified. No drug dealers would risk getting caught by Batman unless this was a cross-city operation. This was Nightwing's problem too.

"Batgirl. Can you take over patrol of the south and get Red Hood to come out and cover from The Bowery to Otisburg." Damian asked over the comms.

"Sure." Cassandra replied quickly.

"Why what's going on Batman?" Oracle chipped in.

Damian shot a tracker onto the truck and watched it pull away. "I need to go to Blüdhaven now. We've got maybe 100 kilos of Tranq moving out the city and in the Blüdhaven. I need to know where and who it's going to." Damian checked the tracker was online as the truck innocently pulled onto the roads again.

"I'll alert Nightwing. Want me to patch you through to the cave?" Oracle read his mind.

"Yes please Oracle. Thanks for your help tonight." Damian grunted as he landed back on the ground.

"No problem. The Justice League is giving me a break after I fixed their mishap. I'll see you soon Batman." The long tone signalled she'd disconnected the line. A new beeping meant the cave was ringing and Tim would pick up any moment.

"Batman." Bruce grunted.

"Can you get Red Robin?"

Bruce barked something, Tim was running over in seconds. "What's up?" Tim asked breathlessly. He was no doubt training himself into a coma-like sleep again.

"Red, I'm going to Blüdhaven. Depending on how this goes I could be there a day or a week. Either way I'll be gone overnight."

"Alright, I'll cover you at work. Be safe and say hi to Dick for me." 

"Of course I'll be safe." Damian swung the Batmobile round a corner hard. The tires screeched and smoked on the ground as he took off behind the truck.

* * *

"Hey Signalman." Dick threw a punch square into his nose. The caped villain stumbled back and dropped a smoke bomb to cover his escape. "You like signs and symbols right?"

Nightwing didn't get an answer the old villain was stumbling away and barely avoiding traffic. He hoisted up the sign post Signalman had ran over in his getaway car and spun it in his arms.

Nightwing gave chase. He pounced off a car and spun through the air. Signalman stopped and cowered from Nightwing flying through the air. He tried to cover his face but was too slow.

Dick slammed the 'stop' sign into the villains face and sent him flying onto the curb. He dismounted gracefully, holding the stop sign up proudly like Aquaman would his trident. He soaked in the applause and flashed a smug grin to the crowd.

The police arrived and took the aging villain into custody. The spectacle of Signalman's vows to get Nightwing and wild screams of anger allowed Dick to grapple away and perch on a rooftop to catch his breath away from the cameras and onlookers.

He was 34 years old and not getting any younger. Dick hated having to admit he was passing his prime but it was difficult to avoid. He had to train harder and push himself further. The acrobatics and performative fighting just wasn't as effortless as it used to be.

A ping on his gauntlet shook him from his musings on age. There was no message, just a moving tracker coming down the highway from Gotham.

"Damn it. I wanted to get something to eat." He said aloud. He slapped his leps and heaved himself up. He glanced the tracker again and flipped off the roof, letting the ground race up to meet him. He used his grapple to dismount gracefully and ran the short distance to his bike. 

* * *

Damian saw Dick perching on the roof. He was straining to hear through the long distance mic on his escrima stick. Batman stepped lightly up to his old mentor and knelt on the roof next to him. He held out his hand to utilise the microphones on his fingers and pressed his other hand to Dick's earpiece. He audio started transmitting and Nightwing quickly stopped fumbling with his stick.

They listened in silence. They knew better than to small talk at this time. That could come later, they couldn't risk missing any piece of information no matter how miniscule.

"The boss'll be happy. Red Hood really fucked up the supply months ago. There's too much heat in Gotham that's why they're moving it here." The young man said to the driver.

"I don't mind the drive. I just hate the Blüd. This place is a shithole and that's comin' from a Gothamite." The driver got out the truck and opened the back. The young man's helpers started to load out the drugs, box by box. Kilo by kilo.

Damian dropped his hand turned to Dick. "This is your city so you choose. We either track this stuff to location all night or bust it now and keep it off the street."

Dick chuckled and flipped his escrima sticks in his blue palms. "I don't want this on the streets, I can't risk losing track of even one gram of it. We're busting it now." He surveyed the scene below with a tense face. "Let me guess, you wanna go full Batman and drop down on them?"

Damian smiled and contemplated the notion. "I haven't done that yet. Not the classic drop down and scare the crap out of them."

Dick clapped him on the back and grinned mischievously. "Well now's a good time." He took off and dipped behind the scene, waiting for the commotion before joining in.

Damian leaped out into the middle of the operation. He landed in a crouch, his cape spread out on the ground below. It contracted and followed him up as he stood. As if the darkness belonged to him.

Fear could be smelt in the air. The henchmen dropped the crates and froze in horror. The Batman was in Blüdhaven. The Batman had followed them.

The first shot cracked open the air. It was a futile move, by the time his finger pressed the trigger again, Batman was on him. His arm was wrenched back and broken with a crack. Damian pressed his boot into the man's back and rammed his face into the concrete. He flung a batarang into the next assailants hand before he could even reach for his gun.

Damian flourished his cape and whipped around the operation, drawing fire away from Nightwing's direction. With inhuman speed, he incapacitated the next 5 henchmen with minimal effort and maximum pain. He stopped to watch Nightwing finish off the last 3 guys.

Damian never tired of watching Dick fight, he was like water floating in space, weightless and free to move anywhere he wished. The way his body curved and bent through the air was graceful to say the least. A more appropriate word was beautiful, much like how he'd describe Cassandra dancing. He made light work of the men; the trademark smile never left his face.

They tied up the men and inspected the scene. A search of the van turned up nothing, no new evidence. The police arrived not long after and quaked at the sight of Damian. He slipped back into the shadows and let Nightwing explain the situation. This was not his city.

Dick met him nearby after the police had set up a crime scene around the truck. "Come on." He pushed Damian towards the Batmobile. "Follow me and I'll show you where to park."

Dick sped off on his bike and lead Damian though the barely familiar streets to a house past Avalon Heights. He parked up the Batmobile and covered it with tarpaulin. Dick assured him it was safe, he owned the house and had discreet security fitted. He passed Damian a change of clothes and a spare bike helmet.

They drove the short distance to Woolrich Avenue where Dick lived. A very sudden change from the derelict old house they'd been at, this neighbourhood was just on the outskirts of the city and yet was still filled with towering apartment blocks and neon signs.

Dick's apartment hadn't changed in the time Damian hadn't visited. Nearly a year and Dick still lived the same way. The apartment was bare, few pictures hung on the walls: a flying Graysons poster, the painting Damian had made of him, a photo of his work colleagues.

The furniture was just as bare. A functional couch, a basic wooden coffee table, an old TV that needed replacing. It wasn't lavish and elegant like his and Tim's new room, but the apartment was distinctly Dick Grayson. A travelling circus boy like Dick could never really settle despite this apartment being his home for the last 5 years.

"If you go into my room, there's spare sweats and a towel. You can shower but only if you cook something when I hop in after you." Dick said with a smile.

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tt. I knew an offer of a bed to sleep in would come with conditions. You must learn how to cook Richard."

"Hey!" Dick said in a strained voice as he slipped his boot off. "I can cook, I've gotten quite good. But it's not the same as your cooking."

Damian came out of Dick room with the towel and night clothes in hand. "Then you will cook breakfast tommorow I hope."

* * *

Dick's flat wasn't on the high end of the market. He lived in a 5 storey apartment building with whole floors of other residents. But his water pressure was outstanding. Damian stood under the jet of water and sampled the selection of shower gels. He settled on a mint and eucalyptus scented body wash. Damian was thankful that Dick appreciated these things. Jason for instance, would happily use and 20 in 1 wash and toothpaste hybrid.

He stepped out of the bathroom and Dick stepped in, he rummaged through the fridge and concluded that if Dick had in fact learnt how to cook properly, he did not do it often.

After throwing out a can of baked beans that was 4 months ourt of date, he grabbed some ingredients together and made omelettes. The only dish that could be made with Dick's thin selection of food. The truly abhorrent amount of lucky charms and fruit loops was out of the question.

They ate gratefully, Dick informed him that he hadn't had a chance to eat after getting out of work. Signalman was already running when Dick clocked out for the day.

"These Gotham villains keep filtering down to here. I didn't even apprehend Kite Man the other week. Just told him to go away and he did." Dick said through a mouthful. A piece of omelette fell on his bare chest, he plucked it from the stubble of chest hair and popped it in his mouth.

"Unfortunately I cannot help." Damian said as he unwrinkled his nose. "New looneys pop up every now and again in Gotham. It's hard to keep track of."

"How are you and Tim?"

"Great. Really great. I think the honeymoon phase is well and truly over. We bicker half the time now. We never used to at the start, I think that comes from a place where we wouldn't dare say anything bad to eachother in fears that we'd regress back to how we were." Damian smiled fondly at Tim calling him a 'cock sucking gremlin' when he'd re ordered Tim's files alphabetically rather than by priority. Tim hastily added that he shouldn't have 'fed' him after midnight.

"Selena said something about your new room? I'm not sure it was alot of shouting and bitching about how her's and Bruce's room looked like a drug den compared to yours." Damian pulled up the photos he'd taken and let Dick swipe through them. "Nice! I don't have the time to do anything with this place." Dick commented. Damian knew that was a lie, although he didn't press. He was well aware of how Dick lived, he had no place to question it.

"Is there a new lady in your life Richard?"

Dick scoffed. "I'm too busy. I've made some new friends. Aside from the guys down the precinct, there's a few people I've met here and there. There's one girl who I've been on a few dates with but my job gets in the way. I really do like her and we've known eachother for about a year now."

Damian half smiled. "You should pursue it. I'd hate it if you were alone here, I really should visit more often."

Dick held his chest and tipped his head to the side. "Aww you do care."

"Tt. Of course I care!" Damian bit defensively. "I worry about you."

"Don't worry about me." Dick waved him off. "I promise I'm okay. Life's good, I'm looking at another promotion already and Nightwing stuff is just part of my life. It's all balanced." He collected the plates and began to wash them up. "Go put a movie on. I've got microwave popcorn somewhere here."

Damian put on a random film he found on Netflix and pulled Dick's couch out into the sofa bed, the sofa bed Dick had brought especially for Damian. He'd done this so many times, whenever he couldn't bare it at the Manor he'd hop on his motorbike and race down to Blüdhaven. It was a process ingrained in his memory, he grabbed the spare blankets and wrapped himself, just as Dick walked in with the popcorn.

"Who said you could get comfy? I was planning on making you sleep on the floor." Dick nudged him with his foot and collapsed down next to the former Robin. Damian clicked his tongue as a response but smiled nonetheless.

They watched the movie in comfortable silence. Nearly silence: Dick crunched the popcorn loudly throughout. They switched on a regular TV channel which neither of them had any interest in and started to gossip about random things.

"Once he'd been found out, he literally bolted through the precinct. He shot 3 officers before I caved and stopped limiting myself. I caught up with him and used the desk as a springboard to flip over him." Dick told the story of a dirty cop him and his partner had found out. Damian chuckled at Dick's wild hand movements and over the top expressions. "Come on you must have some good Batman stories now. Spill."

Damian thought fondly over his last few weeks. Even fonder over his adventures since him and Jason had a talk. "I actually rescued a police dog. A guy had shot it through the leg and the GCPD said they were going to put it down. I've been checking up on him on the system, he's nearly recovered but needs a new home."

"You're gonna do it aren't you?" Dick smirked at him.

"I am. But I'm going to surprise Timothy so don't say anything." Damian pointed a finger. "I haven't had a major crisis in Gotham yet, not since the Jokerz. The biggest threat had been drugs and Killer Moth. That says something."

"No one likes fighting Killer Moth. You almost feel bad." Dick agreed solemnly. "I'm gonna go to bed. I've got work at 9 and I want at least 5 hours sleep."

"Goodnight Richard." Damian waved at him as he closed his bedroom door. Damian turned off all the lights and yanked the blankets up to his neck. Aside from the Manor, this was the only place Damian could sleep comfortably and safely.

* * *

Damian was stretching when Dick rose from the dead. An image of dishevellment and slumber. His hair looked as if he'd poked a plug socket a few times. Despite going to sleep at 1:30am, Damian was up bright and early at 5. He'd gone to the shops to buy some supplies for the fridge and gone through his workout routine, thankful that Dick had pull up bars and free weights. He was winding down with yoga and flexibility stretches, Dick opted to join him.

He made it look effortless, sliding down into the splits while still yawning. He flattened his chest onto his thigh and grunted. "Morning." he croaked.

"Good morning Richard." Damian switched position and stretched to the other foot. "A good sleep I'm guessing."

"The best. Memory foam mattresses are the best thing since sliced bread." Dick stood and bent himself in half, tucking his head behind his calfs and holding it.

"I agree. Mine and Timothy's cost a lot but was a worthy investment." Damian couldn't quite match Dick's position, he settled on holding his toes instead. He finished by shaking himself. "I will make breakfast. Although I'd love to experience your Michelin star chef skills, I have a breakfast in mind."

Dick didn't complain. He sat patiently while Damian worked around the kitchen. The plate of eggs benedict was placed before him. "Thank you! You should stay more often its like having a personal Alfred. Y'know aside from when Alfred would actually turn up here and order me around."

"You need ordering Richard. You're a mess." Damian joked. Dick didn't disagree, he hummed through a mouthful and shrugged. "I didn't make the hollandaise sauce from scratch, the jar did cost nearly $15, and I'm pleasantly surprised at it's quality.

* * *

Dick set off to work not long after breakfast and a shower. He set Damian up with his miniature Batcomputer/laptop and let him crack on with the case. After a few hours of trawling and going through similar busts in Gotham, Damian came up with two possible locations the dealer could be operating from. This was by 11am. The rest of the day was spent fine tuning the Batsuit and making several additions to Nightwing's suit. He was in dire need of a new audio system, so Damian transferred his finger microphones into Dick's suit and tested them extensively. Batman now knows who Shelley (Dick's neighbour) was dating and what her date did for a living. By the time Dick came home, his entire apartment had been cleaned top to bottom and reeked of bleach.

"What the hell? I can clean for myself." Dick whined.

"I know that." Damian said defensively, "I got bored. I can't be seen in Blüdhaven while Batman is in town. When I went to the shop I stole your suit instead."

"You what?" Dick sniffed the pits of the suit and frowned.

"It is extraordinarily tight. My nether regions had zero room and it squeaked as I walked. A generally unpleasant experience, even if my rear end did look fantastic." Damian fiddled with a Batarang and picked at his utility belt.

"You're too smooth. It needs a reasonable amount of body hair to not stick, a little baby powder helps too. I remember when B embarrassed you infront of everyone and got mad about your waxing bill." Dick slipped into his suit and sealed himself in with the zippers. 

"Duke was mortified. Father could've stopped at waxing, he didn't need to go on an list all the things I actually got done."

"You did spend a ridiculous amount. It wasn't just that. It was everything you were spending. The clothes, the accessories, all of it." Dick adjusted his domino and blinked to get used to it.

"I only get the best. If I want to travel to Los Angeles to shop and get my beauty treatments from the best in America then so be it. 10 thousand dollars is hardly a drop in our bank accounts considering the massage I got out of it, the masseur had the hands of a god. Father lectures me when he spent half his fortune on a glorified man cave to exercise his childhood trauma." Damian remarked casually.

"Now now Dami, don't be spiteful we all have our own trauma, Bruce can deal with his however he wants." Dick wagged a finger at him and stifled a laugh.

"I suppose you're right Richard. Who would want to dress up in a bat costume and fight crime. A real weirdo if you ask me." Damian pulled over his cowl and rested his fists on his hips.

* * *

"Fuck!" Damian wiggled his arm and shook away the pain. 

Dick hauled a henchmen over his shoulder and carried him over the the rest of the unconscious bunch. "What?" he asked, "are you hurt?“

"That last one got a lucky hit in. The knife had a half serrated edge so it ripped the muscle." Damian winced and resumed tying the group up.

"Where? There no knife wound there."

"The suit heals itself, and it compresses around my wounds." Batman grunted. A henchman was rousing from his forced sleep, so Damian kicked his head back into the metal post he was tied to and sent him back into unconsciousness. The ringing of the metal echoed around the room. 

"You're just mean, that was brutal. There was no reason for that." Dick chided. The disappointed look on his face made Damian feel 10 years old again. "I turned a blind eye to you snapping that guy's arm in two but you just don't stop!" Dick piled into the passenger seat of the car. 

Damian angrily swung the Batmobile back into the city and sped off at 4 times the speed limit. "I'm a compassionate person, I'm a loving person, but Richard, I am not merciful. Criminals don't deserve the better side of me. The only mercy I give is not finishing them off."

"Damian you can't talk like that-"

"No Richard. I still struggle with this, I still fear that I will go too far and kill someone. If I put someone on the ground, I need to make sure they stay there, because if they get up then I have to fight again and I don't know if I'll stop. They aren't viscously hurt, a concussion, a broken arm, or a busted up nose isn't life changing damage. You're a better man than me Richard, probably better than all of us. But don't question what works for me, it stops me going over the line. Now that I'm by myself out there, Father and you aren't there to warn me. No one is, so it is down to me to control myself."

"I'm sorry." Dick apologised.

"I have it under control. I promise. But that doesn't mean it's gone. I have to live with it. When I faced down the fake Joker the only thing I wanted to do was to put a batarang in his eye and stop the madness there and then. But I have a responsibility, I'm Batman. I was Robin. I am not the child who was raised to be a senseless killing machine. I'm better than that."

Dick thought over everything Damian said and sighed. How could he not know this? How had he not realised that this was still an issue? "Damian pull the car over. We're done for the night."

Damian obliged, he parked up the Batmobile and opened the roof. "I'm sorry if I offended you and disregarded the rules of your city, I'll collect my things and leave for Gotham." He stared into the dashboard and cursed himself for going too far in Dick's presence. He didn't look up at his mentor, not even when he left the passenger seat cold and empty.

"You're coming too. We're both done for the night, we found a possible location but that's the best we could do. Let's get food." Dick offered his hand out. Not just as help out of the car, but as the warm hand that has always guided him when no one else would.

* * *

Dick took him to the highest tower in Blüdhaven so he could eat his hot dog and Damian eat his veggie dog in peace. The view was possibly the best Damian had ever seen. When in Gotham, the view was usually marred by storm clouds or smoke from the latest explosion. Blüdhaven was a beautiful city from this high up, it was a vision of neon lights and busy crowds. This city didn't sleep either, the casinos were filled from morning to morning all through the night. 

A few miles over the hills in the distance Gotham stood like a shining beacon. The Iceberg Lounge spotlights waved in the sky. The batsignal rose like a pillar in the center of the city, among the glow of the sleepless buildings and bustling streets. 

Dick told some funny stories, making Damian laugh so much he nearly slipped from the ledge. After a while they lapsed into regular conversation, Dick listening intently and with full attention to Damian tell him about work and Tim's new training regime.

"I am ordering you to come to dinner on Sunday. I checked your schedule Richard, you have nothing on." Damian pointed at Dick with an unyielding expression.

"Fine. Fine. I suppose I should really see Duke again before he goes back to college."

"Yes you should." Damian stood up and bear hugged him. "I expect you nice and early."

"Don't come back anytime." Dick joked with a wide grin.

"I'll come anytime I please. I'm Batman." Damian smiled back and dived backwards of the roof.

* * *

After swinging by Dick's apartment to grab his things, Damian barrelled down the highway to Gotham. He could feel his arm slicking up with blood, the suit had slowed it down enough to not be threatening but the wetness was uncomfortable.

The second he arrived into the cave he stripped the top half of the suit off and sat himself in the medbay. The wound wasn't life threatening, it wouldn't even do lasting damage, but the cut itself was ragged and torn due to the serrated part of the knife.

He hissed as he dribbled alcohol over it and pressed the gauze into the tear. He stitched it the best he could, the work wasn't comparable to Alfred's but it would heal fine. The doors to the mud room opened and Tim stepped out, drenched in sweat and visibly steaming when the cold cave air hit his torso.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Damian questioned with a scowl.

Tim scoffed. "I didn't know I had a bedtime DAD. It's only 1am."

"Tt. You have been at work all day. Don't over do it with training, because I'm not looking after you when you do yourself damage." Damian's pout faded when Tim stepped closer, swinging his hips slightly to distract him.

"Of course you'll look after me." Tim kissed his cheek and hugged him in tight.

Damian sighed, Tim had defeated him already. He pulled Tim into his lap and placed his stubbly chin on Tim's shoulder. "You're right, I would. But I'd be extremely pissed off about it."

"You're pissed off about everything." Tim pecked a kiss on his nose. Damian chased his lips but Tim leaned back. "You want a kiss? Get rid of this." Tim scratched through the prickly mass of hair growing over his boyfriend's cheeks.

"If I must." Damian pushed Tim off him and stood up. "You stink Tim. You use the showers down here and I'll go upstairs. Can't have you reeking out the bedroom."

"Asshole." Tim flipped him off as he left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Dick and Damian was fun. I had to ask myself: what would they be like now they're both older? 
> 
> Dick and Damian see less of eachother now that they have grown up and apart. But the love is still there, I wanted to capture that in the way they are with eachother. Comfortable and open. Dick didn't need to pry an answer out of Damian, because Damian trusts him enough to not hide it. 
> 
> Promise the next chapter will be out in a few days.


	54. Forward

> **Tim Drake's Photography Exhibition: What to Expect?**  
>  **Saturday 19th June 2021**
> 
> Tonight, in a surprising turn of events, the young Wayne Enterprises Director is stepping away from corporate life and hosting an exhibition of his secret hobby: photography.
> 
> The man of the hour insists there is no money being made from this event, but it's simply so people can see his work. No tickets were sold for this event, but rather places could be booked online. The places were filled in a matter of days, with some big name celebrities announcing they'll be in attendance.
> 
> In a statement, Tim Drake told us that he is not looking for work opportunities, money or fame. In his words, he wants 'Anyone who is interested to see my work and experience a part of me I've been keeping a secret since I started taking pictures at 10 years old. I've been capturing my world through a lens for years and I want to share a piece of it.'
> 
> Mr Drake is one of the more secretive high profile figures in Gotham. Since coming out as gay late last year, he has since kept out of the media eye and laid low. This rare insight into his person has piqued interest from all over Gotham.

Tim tapped the article away and sighed a breath. Today was his big day and he felt... Bad. He felt bad that he was just showboating his work for no reason. He felt bad that he was soaking up this attention with no endgame. The closer it got to this day he'd been regretting even broaching the idea.

 _But the way Damian threw himself into this._ Tim reasoned within his brain. _He did all of this for me just to see me happy._

All Tim really had to do was take the photos and prepare which ones from the thousands he'd accumulated over the years to show off. Obviously all superheroic photos were off the table, so that left Tim with around 900 pictures to choose from. He'd chosen the pictures that meant the most to him and shots that really captured Gotham.

He'd trawled the streets, from Tricorner to The Bowery. Asking everyday people if it was okay to capture them doing exactly what they were doing before he interrupted. Just going about their lives. He'd been sneaking around the Manor, grabbing shots of everyone just incase they were any good. His prized piece was Bruce staring up at the painting of him and his parents. A single tear trailed down his cheek as he looked up at the wall. The pain of that night was all too visible on his face, only lit by the dim lamp in the corner. When Tim had asked if he could use it, Bruce was more than happy to let him. Tim had named this photo: 'Stuck in a moment.'

He always did fancy himself a good photographer. He'd purposely taught himself the ins and outs of a camera. It's the one thing that changed his life. He saved Batman with his photos.

"Are you ready for this Tim?" Cass asked. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat next to him. She read through pieces of the article.

"No. I feel like a fake. Are people only going to turn up because I'm Tim Drake. This was a bad idea." The confession spilled out of Tim in one wheezy breath.

"It doesn't matter if it's a bad idea. It's your idea. There are people coming because they know this is something you want to share. They want to know you, not your fame. Even if that is part of it. If they were interested in who you were dating or what your deepest secret is they wouldn't come to a photography exhibition." She explained.

Tim cracked a smile and sniffed a short laugh. "You're so wise. I just- I said I wanted to do this but it's so personal. What if people think the photos are shit?"

"Stop worrying. You're photos look great. I can feel things through them." She bumped his shoulder and poured herself some cereal. Damian was out, so Tim was treating himself to a bowl.

Rocky hobbled over and sat at Tim's legs. He ruffled the dog's head and tickled behind his ears. Since Damian surprised everyone with a new dog, it had attached itself to Tim. Rocky barely left his side. Luckily he got along with all the other pets in the house, Selena's cats mostly ignored him and he even played with Titus, breathing a new life into Damian's older zombie dog. They even slept together in Damian's old room.

"You don't think I'll fuck up do you?" Tim cooed to the giant German Shepherd. Rocky put a paw up on Tim's legs and looked at him sideways. "Yeah that's how I feel too pal."

* * *

Damian tore back his cowl and stormed through the watchtower. "You said this would take a day. It's been 3. Your plan was flawed."

"These things happen Damian." Clark floated over to him and held his shoulders.

"They shouldn't. Earth's champions should work like a well oiled machine should they not? Instead you all attack haphazardly with no coordination. Me and Ms Prince seem to be the only people with half a mind for tactics." Damian spat. He didn't mean to sound so vicious but he was pressed for time and was too tired.

"This is your first mission kid. Maybe you were the problem." Hal poked as he sat in his chair at the table.

Damian ignored the lantern, but spared a cold look in his direction. "Why don't you start on your mandatory debrief Superman. I have an event to get to and unfortunately I won't be able to catch a wink of sleep beforehand."

"Aww does baby Batman need a nap?" Hal joked. His honestly light hearted but badly timed joke tipped Damian over the edge.

"Why don't you fuck off? While you were aimlessly flying around doing fuck all, I was working on a plan of attack. Your tiny insignificant brain can't comprehend that though can it? Your head just alternates between being stuck in the clouds and wedged up your asshole!" Damian carved a line into the conference table with a batarang as he spoke, the grating sound of splitting metal piercing everyone's spine. Wally snickered and covered a laugh.

"Everyone calm down." J'onn boomed. Damian was already on his way to the teleporter.

"Batman wait. You need to report. There's entire parts of the mission you went and accomplished by yourself-" Clark was silenced by Damian holding up his finger.

"I have to leave. Timothy's exhibition is in an hour and a half and I was meant to be helping to set up. You know this Clark, Lois is attending." Damian said sternly.

"Damian I know but we need you here. There are formalities." Clark pleaded. "It won't take long. I promise. It'll take 30 minutes tops."

"Do I care?" Damian laughed. "My boyfriend needs me. You mistake me for my father. I do not value the mission and this little club over my own life. I will not go to the most important event of his Timothy's looking like a tramp because I had 15 minutes to get ready. He comes first, he always comes first. So if you'd excuse me."

"What a team player." Green Arrow scoffed.

Damian looked back at the table and saw their faces. Every one of them save Diana, Clark and Wally seemed to judge him. Like they saw themselves as above him. Like he was still a 10 year old Robin. They had their Batman and now he's retired. Damian knew he'd be nothing to them but a boy wearing a cowl too big for him to fill.

"This invitation is a facade. Did you all just need a bat to maintain image? I was never going to be an equal here." Damian pulled up his cowl and hid his face, they were no longer talking to Damian anymore, only Batman.

"Damian." Diana smiled sympathetically at him. It was nearly enough to make him falter and apologise.

"With respect. Go fuck the League. Go fuck your false little invitation and go fuck all of this. I thought an invitation meant that you valued my skills and wanted me here. But clearly it was a favour to my father. As long as I'm in his shadow I'll never truly be seen will I? Goodbye and good luck with your future missions." Batman ended his speech by punching his destination into the transporter and leaving them with a blinding flash.

"He's right." Wally sighed. "I've been a Titan, I know what it's like to be just a sidekick. He come up with some brilliant ideas, he's overcome more that all of us. You know how I know? Because Dick thinks the world of him, he doesn't stop talking about him. Donna would agree if she were here too." Wally shook his head.

"I think the world of him." Clark said, the faintest hint of offense in his voice. "He's been the best influence on my son."

"Then why was he being shafted today, and yesterday, and the day before? The second he got here he was spoken over, bossed around and ignored. He's not a sidekick anymore, he's the man Bruce chose as a successor. Like Ollie chose Connor to be the next Green Arrow when he retired. We're a team, we work together. We don't work under anyone." Wally waved around the group. "Can all of you say without hesitation that you made him feel welcome and one of us?"

Each guilty member looked down at their hands in shame. Wonder Woman held her head high, she had nothing to be ashamed of.

"I believe I'm going to leave too." Diana stood and adjusted her lasso. "I have an important event to go to."

* * *

Damian ripped off his suit and left it scattered around the cave. He ran through the house nearly naked and burst into his bedroom. "Come on. Come on." he mumbled. He flicked through his wardrobe and pulled out a suit. After checking it was ironed he laid it on the bench and jumped in the shower.

"Come on." He mumbled under the wave of water.

He blow dried his hair on maximum heat, uncaring of what damage it may do to his strands. The slicked some putty into the frizz and tamed it into the slick and sharp look he usually sported.

He brushed his teeth fast. He used the time to check his phone and winced at the sight of 7 missed calls from Tim and a dozen texts.

> **Contact: Handsome 😍**
> 
> Dami let me know you're okay when you can.
> 
> I get it if you can't come. I'm proud of you for being a hero.
> 
> Kon let me know that you're on you way back, he heard from Clark. Please hurry.
> 
> Damian!!! Come on. I need you here, they've forced a speech on me before everyone goes in and I dunno if I can do it if you're not there.
> 
> And stop worrying about what you look like. Shove a suit on and eat a mint.
> 
> I'm coming Tim. Don't worry. I'm just getting dressed.
> 
> I promise you I will be there. I will not miss it.  
>    
> 

He spat out the toothpaste and raced back into the room. In a flash he was dressed and fixing his tie as he walked into the garage. What was the fastest car here that he could steal? He pondered for a moment between SSC Tuatara or the Koenigsegg Agera RS.

Damian plumped for the Agera. Despite the SSC going better with his outfit, he knew the Agera had better handling. With an almighty roar he flew out of the Manor and towards the glow of the city. He ripped around corners like he had no regard for his life. The engine cracked open the sky each time it popped and roared when his foot went down.

For a moment it seemed as if he would make it with time to spare, but Gotham always had it's way. The GCPD had cordoned off the main road, a head on collision had taken place and car parts were strewn across the way.

Damian growled as he swung the car around skirted past the incident. His detour had added at least 10 minutes but with no further incidents he'd still be early.

"I'm coming Tim. I promised I'd be there. I promised I'd never let you down." Damian muttered under his breath.

* * *

"Bruce I'm panicking." Tim waved his face and blew out a slow breath. "I know we only allowed 100 slots but that's a lot of people. I didn't even stress this much when I went back on patrol duty again weeks ago"

Bruce rubbed Tim's shoulder with his large hands. It instantly alleviated Tim's worry, taking him back to when he was training and he'd panic about messing up. "It's too late now. They're expecting you in a few minutes."

Tim forced out a nervous laugh. "That didn't help at all."

"Don't listen to him. Just stay whelmed, you got this." Dick frowned at Bruce.

"Yeah Timmers. Don't listen to him." Jason chuckled. "Listen to me. Stop being a pussy."

Tim rubbed his hand scar anxiously. It was a nervous habit he'd developed since he got back into the field. Whenever Tim felt overwhelmed or like he was going to shut down in panic he'd massage the grotesque pinkish line and ground himself. Alternatively, a more negative habit he'd developed is flicking his tongue over his new perminently teeth just to make sure they were still there. He'd space out for minutes at a time just focusing on them. 

"They're ready for you Mr Drake." Lucas' soft cracking voice called from around the front. Tim's new assistant was more than happy to help him manage this event, even if the fresh faced 18 year old was a little out of his depth in just about all areas of his recently acquired job.

"Lucas for the last time. Just call me Tim. It's been months and you still don't listen." Tim looked over his speech one last time before pulling a grossed out face and ripping it apart. He shoved it into Lucas' hand and shrugged.

"Sorry Mr Drake. Tim! Fuck, Tim!" Lucas pushed his glasses up his nose and winced. "Sorry. Your boyfriend scared the crap put of me, he told me I should treat you like royalty and speak to you with that level of politeness. Every time you tell me to be more casual I see that samurai sword he has resting on the shelf and shit myself a bit sir."

"Lucas if he was going to try something like that. He'd have done it when you caught us making out on my desk. He's a giant teddy bear. Who's also not here." Tim opened the door a crack and stared into the amassing crowd.

He picked out Lois standing rigid and professional as ever. She was very obviously ignoring Vicki Vale who stood way more comfortably, Vicki had that hunting look in her eye. She was like a hawk ready to swoop down on whatever morsel of information she picked out. Lois chose to be here personally, under the guise that she wanted to write a nice short piece for once, rather than a giant expose. Perry White nearly had a second heart attack but allowed it because it kept Lois off his back. Really she just wanted to support Tim. Vicki however was made to be here. She covered every piece of news involving Bruce or anyone close to him. At her own request, she knew Bruce was Batman, but couldn't get the proof.

He spotted other familiar faces, but no Damian.

"Mr Dra- Tim, you really need to go out there. I know you wanted him here but they can't wait." Lucas' hands smoothed out the back of his suit. Tim painted on his fake business smile and rested his hand on the door handle.

 _This is it Tim._ He thought to himself. _There's no going back. This is for you Tim, you don't need Damian here. Tonight is a step for you, a step forward in your life. Don't be a pussy Tim, take it._

He pulled the handle down and stepped out into the crowd. A few camera flashes went off, but not enough to barrage him. He waved politely, keeping his smirk high and shining.

"Welcome everyone. Thank you all for coming. I'll keep this short beacuse I'm terrible with speeches." Tim sucked in a deep breath. "I'd just like to say that photography has changed my life, I quite literally wouldn't be the man I am today a without it. It's has opened doors and let me meet just the best people. The most important people in my life. I've kept it as my secret hobby for 15 years, but I wanted to share just a piece of what it means to me. The title and theme I settled on is called: 'My Home' and I hope you'll all enjoy what that means to me."

Tim looked over the sea of faces and felt put at ease. Their expressions were mostly curious. He was expecting them to not care but the way they looked and listened made the nerves all worth it.

"So-" Tim continued. "Enjoy a drink courtesy of Jason and the Iceberg Lounge. And don't criticise me too much, my feelings will definitely be hurt."

Tim waved them in while they were still chuckling. He shook hands with everyone as they entered until a dark, beautiful man was the only guy still not inside. He was swept up into a hug and was washed over with the smell of his favourite aftershave.

"You made it!" Tim giggled.

"I heard all your speech. I just couldn't make it to the front." Damian thumbed over Tim's cheek and grinned shamelessly. "I'm sure I've now got at least 2 speeding tickets and I had to stop a mugging but I made it."

"A mugging?" Tim squeaked.

"Yes. The street was empty, I took a detour. A guy pulled out a gun and followed a young man down an alleyway. One hit and he was down then I hopped back in the car." Damian explained.

"What a hero!" Tim said sweetly. With a little too much sarcasm.

"You're the hero of tonight handsome. Come on." Damian held the lower part of Tim's back and led him into the lion's den.

* * *

People were chartering left, right and centre. People pointed at images and marvelled. Tim was bursting with pride, people actually seemed to love his work.

He was surprised that people were asking so many questions. 'What's the story behind this?' was a common query.

A lady who looked to be in her thirties approached Tim and complimented him. She introduced herself as 'Amari Greene'.

"Can I borrow you for a second Mr Drake." He nodded and let himself be lead over to a particular photo of a run down street in Coventry. "This is where I grew up. This flat right here." She pointed to a small window in the corner. "I've never been able to find a photo online of the street like this. Only the new rejuvenation project."

"I took this when I was younger. I liked the way everyone worked on the street corners. That's why I focused on this man, me and my dad had our shoes shined by him once." Tim remarked.

"That's my grandad." She smiled warmly, hiding the obvious pain behind it. "He worked right outside our apartment until the day he died. The same shoe shining job he'd done since he was 11. That's why I wanted to thank you. Over time I'd started to forget what he looked like. What the home looked like."

"That's lovely Ms Greene." Tim shook her hand. "Between us two. If you go over to my assistant and give him your address. I'll send you over a framed version of this. I see how much it means to you."

She thanked him and made her way over to Lucas. Before Tim could think he was collared by Lois.

* * *

Damian mingled with everyone. He reigned in his usual loud and outlandish event behavior. He didn't want to embarrass or take attention away from Tim.

A particularly tall woman admired a picture. She was dressed in a tight red dress with accentuated every curve and bulging muscle. A gold rope served as a belt, tied up neatly on her waist in a bow. Damian knew she looked familiar, and had she covered herself up more he wouldn't have deduced her identity. A scar on her muscular shoulder was the giveaway, despite her hidden face.

"Ms Prince." He greeted. She hugged the boy and squeezed him extra tight. Perhaps it was her way of apologising for her colleagues' behaviour.

"Tonight it's Dana Price." She laughed. "I'm surprised you noticed first. Even Bruce hasn't." Her mouth twitched uncomfortably.

"Those masks aren't very comfortable are they."

"They aren't. But I didn't want to miss this. I do appreciate the arts after all." Diana waved her hand around the room.

"Ahh so you're here for Timothy not for me. It's nice to know I not going to get an apology beaten out of me." Damian chuckled and sipped his drink.

"Not at all. In fact you had quite a few people in your corner including me. We shouldn't speak about this here. How about I see you in your man cave after this?"

"Sounds good Ms Prince. Or rather 'Price'. Have a good night."

* * *

The guests filtered out eventually, and the staff began clearing things away. Tim felt ecstatic, like he'd truly accomplished something great. Damian felt the joy and excitement pouring off Tim. It was infectious, each time he glanced Tim grinning away to himself stupidly he couldn't help but join in. 

"Give me 20 minutes handsome. In my rush, I left some things in the cave and it needs a little tidy up." Damian kissed Tim's head and made his way downstairs. 

Wonder Woman was already waiting for him. Her hair was pulled down and left to billow over her shoulders and the mask had been removed. "He's happy. He should be, he's a fine photographer." Diana smiled. 

"That he is. I'm proud of him." Damian said as he picked up his costume pieces and organised them into piles of what could go in the wash and what needed to be cleaned by hand. 

"On behalf of the team I wanted to apologise." Diana avoided any more small talk and addressed the elephant in the room, or rather dinosaur in the cave. 

"Nonsense. You yourself don't need to apologise. You were one of the few that actually didn't treat me like a 10 year old. I'm not looking for an apology anyway. What's done is done." Damian sat in the chair and offered Diana a seat. 

"Well you're getting one anyway. You know I care for all of you Robins like you're my nephews and neices. You're welcome to come back anytime, I myself will make sure things turn out differently. Wally was a particularly strong advocate for you."

Damian let out a long sigh. "No Ms Prince. It's done, I'm sorry. You're welcome here anytime of course but I cannot be in a team that my father helped lead. I meant what I said. His shadow is too big and I might never escape it. I know he still means a great deal to you all, I will never be like that to any of you. You're all double my age, I'll never be anything but a child. A Robin. I'm not Batman to them." 

Diana roped her lasso around her arm while she spoke. "I see great things in the future for you Damian. You're a special man with great potential. The offer stands. I hope to see you again soon wherever that may be."

"Wonder Woman." Damian nodded while he shook her hand.

"Batman." She smirked and flew out of the cave leaving a gust of wind in her wake.

* * *

The Family gathered around the table in the morning. Even Dick had managed to get two consecutive days off work so he could stay over. Tim couldn't hold his curiosity at bay, he typed his name into Google and clicked on the news tab.

"Hey guys." Tim addressed the table. "Which one first Vicki or Lois?"

"Lois." the group said unanimously.

Tim hoped she didn't stay up too late cranking the piece out. He opened the Daily Planet article and began to read through it while sipping his coffee:

> Tim Drake's out of the blue photography exhibition shows the true spirit of Gotham. Drake's raw unfiltered photos have a undeniable grit and truth that speak volumes about not only his person, but the city he loves.
> 
> In the exibit called 'My Home', Tim laid bare some emotional pictures that almost made you feel as if you were intruding on a moment. The star piece was exactly that, a moment. The heart wrenching glimpse at Bruce Wayne looking up at his parent's photo tearfully, showed every attendee the gravity of a life changing moment.
> 
> Every photo felt truly like a memory immortalised. The candid nature of every picture takes you to the place Drake wanted to keep and grounds you there. While some were a simple landscape shot, with no subject in general. It captured Gotham in it's purest form: Dark, dirty, dazzling and full of life.
> 
> The speculation that this event would've been a shallow attempt for a rich boy to show off his hobby was done away with upon the first glances at the walls. Tim Drake has opened up old wounds and showed his future in a display of his person that shows us the heart of Gotham and the heart of one of it's most high profile residents.

Tim placed the tablet down and turned it off. He almost teared up at Lois' words. He didn't want to ruin the feeling with Vicki's no doubt skeptical piece.

Damian held his hand and kissed his scar delicately. Even after so long together his piercing eyes and soft touch still sent shivers down Tim's spine and made him blush uncontrollably.

This morning felt different. He'd accomplished every goal he'd set: his staff work was better than ever, he loved his job, and he'd shown everyone exactly who he was.

Surrounded by his family, held by his boyfriend and with his new canine companion at his leg, Tim's only direction was forward. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this seems like an ending, but think of this as more like end of act one. 
> 
> The next chapter will have a quite sizable time skip. Not only will it revitalise the story. But it'll allow me to introduce new characters, new villains and write a hopefully even more enjoyable story. It'll take me longer to write, expect it by 30th or 1st
> 
> Aslo, for anyone who wanted to know. This is the current full Justice League main team lineup (does not include JL Dark, JLA or JL international):
> 
> Superman - Clark Kent  
> Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Green lanterns - Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz and Guy Gardner  
> Green Arrow - Connor Hawke  
> The Flash - Wally West  
> Red Tornado - John Smith  
> Bruce Wayne (Technician and Tactical Leader. Formerly Batman.)  
> Martian Manhunter - J'onn J'onzz/John Jones  
> Aquaman and Mera - Arthur Curry and Mera  
> Supergirl - Kara Zor El  
> Shazam - Billy Batson  
> Troia - Donna Troy  
> Oracle - Barbara Gordon


	55. **Four Years Later**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is everyone doing after the 4 years gap between this and last chapter?

He was laughing so hard. So hard he was crying in pain and writhing in the floor. He coughed and wheezed trying to stop but it was hopeless. He could feel the corners of his mouth splitting and starting to tear. It was funny. Everything was funny.

"I got the recipe off the Internet. I wasn't sure it was going to work right. You wouldn't believe how many chemicals it takes." Alexis snapped photos of the helpless Dean and giggled as she did so. "I had a good teacher. I'm top of my class for a reason Bob."

She tore off her Joker tank top and let it fall to the floor. She shrugged on the violet top that was draped over the dresser chair. She layered it with a black dress and sat down in front of her makeup. "You're not the first you know. I've been testing with some homeless under the overpass. You're the first that matters though."

She tied her hair up and powdered her face. She hummed while she worked and finished by kissing the air in front of the mirror. "C'mon Dean Bob. Don't you think that's funny?"

"Won't laugh." The Dean squealed. He gritted his teeth smashed his head off the floor. Anything to stop the laughter.

"Do you even let yourself feel anything without reading whether it's acceptable in the school handbook." Alexis looked down at the man with disgust. "Do you even have opinions anymore or just what the board programmed into you?"

"Why are you like this?" He sobbed.

"It's your fault. And mom's and dad's and the televisions. And all of that." She pulled on her gloves and boots and began to lace them up. "We grew up with all of you whispering in our ears that we could be anything we wanted. But you never realised the downside to all that. Some of us don't want to be the good guys. I mean this whole great world you left us is falling apart, and you teach us about the people who actaully had the balls to throw se chaos into the mix. I don't want to live in the slow decay of your world. I want my own world and I guess I don't really care if that means hurting lots of people or whatever."

She stood up and dusted herself down. "This whole world you built is the joke." She spun on her heel and bent to snarl at the man. She grin was wide, her blue lips pulled up to her ears. Her green eyes were ablaze with joy. Each circle of red on her cheek seemed to glow.

"I'm the PUNCHLINE!" She screamed.

The Dean gargled and laughed his last agonising breath and went limp on the floor. His mouth perminently contorted into a wide ripped smile. Punchline stepped over his lifeless body to her dresser and caressed a picture frame.

The photo was was of the new Joker. Taken from one of his many broadcasts. His grotesque extended smile was still dripping in the snapshot. "I'll prove to you I'm serious. You've been locked away for too long. Whatever comes next is going to be funny."

* * *

"Thanks for the assist Ms Sandsmark." Damian said through a smile. He pushed his cowl behind his head and replaced his batarangs. He massaged the bags under his eyes. "Is it back to the tower for you now then?" 

"Nah I'm going to see my Mom. You?" Cassie asked. 

"Me and Jon are going shopping. I have something rather important to pick up and he insisted on seeing it." Damian glanced sideways at Jon who was panicking over holes in his cape. "Hayseed would you leave it alone! I'll sew them up for you."

Cassie chuckled and smacked her hand down on Damian's shoulder. "Until the next time." She waved and flew away. Damian wished there wouldn't be a next time. Not because he hated her company, in fact she'd become one of his best friends. But rather he hoped there never would be a next crisis, a next situation that warranted their help. Their new team had been formed by chance. Him and Jon were in need of help and she was the only one close enough to answer their call. Afterwards they never stopped, mission after mission they gelled and worked better each time. 

"Bye Cassie." Jon called after the flying Amazon. He pulled Damian up by his arm just as he finished returning his cowl to it's proper place. 

He flew them the short distance back to Gotham and landed them back in the cave. Damian piled civillian clothes into Jon's hand and shooed him away into the showers. He would've showered with Jon. After all, the cave had a set of 20 shower cubicles, but Damian learned the hard way when he was younger that Jon sings in the shower. Not only is it loud and out of tune but it's exclusively country songs. He vowed never again and he hasn't had to experience it in nearly 10 years. 

Damian showered quickly after Jon and made himself look pretty in the mirrors. "So what's this important thing you've been stressing about for the last few days?" Jon asked. He propped his leg up on the wall and crossed his arms. 

Damian clicked his tongue and looked disapprovingly at the younger man. "Today is the 17th of July." he answered, as if Jon recognised any significance of it. 

"Yep and it's sunny out. Gonna hafta be more specific." Jon chirped. He followed Damian out of the cave and into the garage.

"What it means is it's 2 days until Timothy's 30th birthday. I need to pick up his present. You insisted on coming, but it's nothing exciting." Damian hopped in the Mustang, he needed something somewhat incognito, meaning the Lambourghini or Bugatti were out of the question. 

"So what are you getting him? 30 is the big one. It's where he starts to become an old man." Jon turned the radio onto a pop station. Damian wrinkled his nose and flipped it onto a classic rock station instead. 

"Just wait. It'll help me to see a fresh reaction from you." 

He drove them into town and parked outside a cosy jewelers on the Upper East Side. Damian greeted the old man behind the counter and murmured his request. The man returned with a small box. His face creased like paper as he smiled. 

Damian opened the box and gasped. "Oh my."

Jon rushed over to his side and gasped in a similar manner. "Holy shit Dami. Is that what I think it is?"

Damian pulled the ring from its box and held it to the light. The thick band was polished to perfection and heavy. The rectangular stone in the middle pulled his gaze. It refracted light at every angle. It was a beautiful blue, but nothing like a sapphire. It was paler and had more of a grey tone. 

"It is Jon. Palladium band. With a jeremejevite stone set in the middle. Such a rare gem. Not only was it expensive and extremely difficult to source. But it's the exact colour of his eyes." Damian replaced the ring in the box and shook the old man's hand. He thanked him profusely and left with Jon. 

"You're gonna propose?" Jon giggled. 

"I am. We've been together nearly 5 years. I think it's about time, I've been thinking about doing it for months now." He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He checked the ring one last time before shoving it in his pocket. 

"Can I be best man?" Jon stared wide eyed at his best friend. The look bordered in threatening. 

"He hasn't said yes yet. He might say no." 

Jon snorted. "Dude in all this time you've had like 5 or 6 major fights. I had that many with Kathy in our first 6 months. You two are literally goals. He's saying yes." 

"Fine if he says yes then you're one of my best men. I cannot refuse Richard a spot." Damian pointed and pulled away from the curb back onto the road. 

"When he says yes."

* * *

"Penny 3. We're on our way back." Tim said into his ear. Batman was just finishing up with Commissioner Gordon.

Bruce grunted over the line approvingly. "Good work on that case. Even I was having a hard time cracking it."

"Well I'm exhausted so we're cutting the night short. Jim is processing him now. It's been a while since Gotham's had a serial killer that good." Tim remarked. He waved down Damian and led the way to the Batmobile.

"You talk about serial killers with way too much admiration Red Robin. It's worrying." Bruce chuckled. "If you're on your way back then I'll sign off."

"I appreciate a clever mind. See you at home Penny 3."

Damian put his foot down and raced back to the cave. They sat in silence, only sharing little smiles and caring looks of affection. Even after all this time they remained professional in the field. The safety of the Batmobile allowed them to revert back to their usually affectionate states. 

"Father was right. You did do good on this case. It would've taken us much longer without you." 

"You're not gonna go Ra's on me and call me detective in a real creepy way right?" Tim giggled. Damian nudged him and rolled his eyes. "You've been awake for too long as well. Little old me stuck in the cave cracking a murder case while you were adventuring with Jon and Cassie earlier."

Damian was brushing his teeth after they returned. Tim sat on the bed and picked at the fabric, contemplating to himself. He did this almost every night. Whether it was just before sleep, while watching something on TV, sometimes even during sex. Tim would think about the same thing. 

_Come on Tim. Just ask him. The ring is right there in your drawer._ He argued in his mind. He reached into the drawer and pulled out the box that had been taunting him since he brought it over a year ago. The brilliant diamond flanked by two emeralds still glittered in the dim light. Tim chewed his lip and tapped the box with his finger.

He'd been putting off asking Damian for months. Everytime he got close, he panicked and gave up. He'd given up on making the gesture special too, rather he'd opted to just propose whenever he felt he could force the words out of himself. His biggest worry was that the ring would be too 'girly'. Tim knew that he himself would want a flashy engagement ring with a big stone, Tim didn't care about gender norms. He saw no reason why dazzling rings were exclusive to women. But would Damian like that? Would he be completely emasculated if Tim offered him a ring like what is stereotypically offered between and man and woman?

He swallowed his heart back down and took a deep breath. "Hey Damian!" he called with a crack in his voice.

"Yes handsome?" Damian called back through mouthfuls of toothpaste.

"I uhhh. Umm. Can you-" Tim's heart was beating too fast. His hands began to shake. The words were at the tip of his tongue. All he had to do was call Damian in. Just a few words: Can. You. Come. Here. 

_He won't like it Tim._ His own mind screamed at him. 

He snapped the box shut and shoved it back into the drawer. "Nothing. I uhh forgot what I was gonna say." He lied. He rubbed his hand scar furiously and slumped down under the covers. _One day soon. One day you'll stop being a pussy._

* * *

"Someday you'll understand how much I owe you. The mistakes I made. How much you suffered because of me." Artemis said softly. It felt so real. Jason could almost reach out and touch her. Her face was odd and her voice alien. He'd forgotten so much of her. 

"Artemis. Princess, please I love you. It never mattered what you think you did." Jason's voice was hollow and echoed through the darkness he was standing in. 

"I love you too Jason Todd." She whispered. Her lips brushed Jason's for just a moment before she was absorbed by the darkness. 

"Artemis!" Jason cried out. "Don't leave me again. I still love you please don't leave me again!"

Jason woke with a startle and rubbed his wet eyes. The sun streamed through the window but the room still felt cold. He'd been dreading this day like he did every year. The pain clawed at him from the inside out until tears were streaming down his face again. All he wanted to was shoot something. To hurt something. Anything to not feel so lost, so empty and hopeless. But he knew better now. His psychiatrist's words echoed in his head: 'Don't be alone. Don't isolate yourself. Asking for support no matter how hard it is for you is step 1.'

He pulled his phone out and dialed it. "Dad." Jason hiccuped. He hated how he sounded so weak and feeble. 

"Jason-" Bruce stopped himself from asking what was the matter. "Just pack a bag. I'm coming to pick you up."

* * *

Selena rolled over in bed and shielded her eyes from the sun. She hissed and sat up with her back to the window. "Where are you going Bat?"

Bruce was wiggling into a pair of trousers, seemingly in a rush. "Jason needs me." He answered bluntly.

"At 9:30 in the morning?" Selena said through a yawn. She stretched down the bed and held her toes.

"Today's the day Artemis and Bizarro died Selena. He's the same every year. It's usually beating muggers and any other criminal he finds into a coma. Used to be killing them. But today he's reached out to me." Bruce slipped into his shoes and looked around to see where he'd left his cane. 

Selena threw it to him and waved him off. "I get it. Bring him home safely."

Bruce arrived at the Iceberg Lounge in record time. Accumulating speeding tickets and experiencing extreme road rage at anyone who got in his way. He barged through the door and searched like a crazed man for his son. "Jay! Jay are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Jason called from the balcony. He had smoked through 2 cigarettes already and was now starting on his 3rd in half an hour. Just to calm himself down. 

Bruce took note of the duffle bag packed and placed on the couch. "You still want to come home? Dick's coming round tomorrow for Tim's birthday."

Jason nodded and flicked the cigarette over the edge. They walked in silence to the car. They'd just made it into the Bowery when Jason spoke up. "I had a dream about her. I saw her face. Heard her voice. For the first time in so long, I- I thought I'd forgotten it."

"I know that feeling. Sometimes I'm thankful for the nightmares I get Jason. I get to hear my parents again even if it's just for a second." Bruce patted his son's thigh and tried a reassuring smile.

"I'm trying Bruce. I take so many steps in the right direction then as soon as anniversaries like today and when Roy died it's like I go straight back to start." Jason turned away to look out the window.

"Bullshit. You've come really far I'm proud of you for it." Bruce scolded. "Jason you've lost so many people close to you and you've only just began to deal with it properly. You can't measure your progress on whether you've gotten over it. You're making an effort and you're on the right track. That's what's important Jay."

"Is everyone out?" Jason squeaked.

"Yep. Just me and Selena. Everyone's at work."

Jason breathed out in relief. "Cool. I don't have to answer questions." Bruce smiled warmly in his direction. Jason couldn't pinpoint where their relationship took a u-turn and started to mend properly. Perhaps it was all the way back when Bruce returned and didn't treat him like a criminal for killing nearly 50 people. Perhaps it was staying for Christmas that very same year. Or perhaps it was when he'd he'd moved back out after overstaying his welcome, when Bruce nearly begged him not to leave. 

It resulted in an agreement that he'd have to come round every Sunday for a family dinner. Starting with when Dick got dragged from Blüdhaven by Damian. Jason, in a spur of the moment decision, decided that having the family gathered in one place was a good time to rip the plaster off and come out to everyone.

He remembered it well, he was a halfway through a rambling then threw in a quick 'bythewayimbisexual'. Everyone was shocked, except Damian and Tim who knew of his dilemma. Bruce just smiled and raised his glass at Jay. A silent acceptance. Selena's acceptance was much more literal. She insisted he come round for breakfast the next day and served him up pink, purple and blue coloured pancakes. He couldn't figure out why but the sentiment gave him a warm feeling. 

"Thanks for picking me up Bruce." Jason finally tore his head from the window and looked at his father. "I'm working on sharing my problems rather than keeping them to myself. Apparently a source of my anger is keeping the issues internalised and letting them grow because I'm not addressing them."

"That's good. You're doing great. I know you don't always want to talk to me. It's why I'm glad you have Tim and the others. It's what families are for son."

* * *

"Damian will you marry me?" Tim growled. "No that's too bland."

Damian had left to take the dogs on a walk around the grounds, leaving Tim time to practice his proposal. Tonight was the night. He was just going to jump in and do it.

"Damian, you make me the happiest- No! Too cliché." Tim sat back and rubbed his knee, it was getting sore after spending nearly 10 minutes in the same position.

"Damian, I want to be your fucking husband." Tim contemplated his flippant proposal and hummed. "That one actually wasn't bad. It had character."

"Damian, I-I just love you so much. Please be my husband?" Tim grinned. "I think that's a good one."

The door cracked open, throwing Tim into panic mode. He scrambled to get up and fell to the floor. A leg cramp. The box tumbled to the floor and bounced. The ring skittered across the room and landed at a set of feet.

"Tim I just wanted to say thanks for- oh my god is that an engagement ring?" Jason gasped.

"Jay shut the fuck up." Tim groaned. He flapped his hand at the ring and box and hauled himself up onto the bed. He snatched the ring from Jay's hand and shoved it under his leg. "Not a word! You hear me? I've spent too long trying to get this right for you to blab!" Tim snapped.

Jason held his hands up in defense and raised his eyebrows. "Tim calm down. I won't say anything, just calm down."

"Sorry, Fuck!" Tim grasped his hand and rubbed the jagged white line on each side. "I can't do it. I really want to do it and I just can't." He reached under his leg and tossed the box into Jason's lap.

"That is a fucking rock. Diamonds and emeralds?" Jason whistled and held the ring up.

"It's like his eyes. Emerald." Tim whined. He buried his head in the pillows and whined again.

"What's stopping you Timmers?"

"What if he doesn't like it? What if a flashy ring is too feminine for him? What if he doesn't want to get married? What if this is too soon?" Tim said followed by a groan. "There's so much Jay. I don't wanna ruin what we've got."

"Well speaking for myself, if someone gave me a nice ring and said they love me enough to commit for the rest of their lives then I'd be pretty flattered to be fair. Yes the ring is... A statement, but it shows how much you love him right? A big ol' thing like that is extremely Damian." Jason pulled Tim up from the bed and put the ring in his hand. "Stop being an idiot."

"Fuck you Jay. I'll do it. I just want to get it right, I don't have a second shot at it. I don't care about making some grand gesture, I just want to get the words out, preferably in the right order." Tim put the ring in the drawer and sighed "did you want something before I freaked out?"

"Just wanted to say thanks for the talk earlier. And happy birthday for tommorow. I didn't get you anything but it's not like you deserve a gift though is it?" Jason snickered.

Tim laughed and bumped Jay's shoulder.

* * *

The door knocked twice. Too light but everyone in the living room heard. Everyone looked at eachother viciously. The tension thickened the air instantly. 

"I'll get it!" They called in unison.

Each scrambled over the couches and over eachother. Damian leapfrogged over Jason, pulled the rug up under Tim and barged Cass to the side. Duke gave up on the contest knowing Damian would do everything in his power to get there first.

Damian tore the door open and knelt down. He was assaulted with little hands and a mass of coiled dark hair.

"Uncle Dami!" The girl screamed. She hugged him so her hair was covering his face.

"Elainna! How is my favourite little girl?" He stood with the girl still attached to his neck and half hugged Dick who was just behind her at the door. Bea hugged him next and he ushered them in with his niece still dangling off him.

"Elainna sweetie can I put you down? Why don't you give Tim a hug it's his birthday." Damian asked. She squeezed tighter and dug her heels into his ribs.

"No. You can give him one later for me." She said.

Damian blew her hair from infront of his face and frowned. "For a 3 year old you are incredibly stubborn. That's clearly your mother."

Bea made a false shocked expression. "Not me?" she chuckled.

"Commissioner Grayson." Jason greeted. He mockingly saluted Dick and yanked him into a hug.

"Jase, don't call me that. I'm still getting used to it. It's so wierd."

Elainna was Damian's favourite ball of joy. After he visited Dick in Blüdhaven to bust the Tranq shipment, Dick took Damian's advice to pursue his mystery girl he'd been dating. Two months later at the very beginning of their relationship, Bea had fallen pregnant unexpectedly. After some tough talks they agreed to keep their child and make their relationship work. Dick was a natural father, the burden of a child brought Dick and Bea closer than ever. 

Damian was apparently a natural uncle too. When Elainna was being particularly stressful for the new parents while they were visiting the Manor, he took her off their hands and tried to attempt to calm her down. He sung her an Arabic lullaby his carer used to sing to him. It was called 'Doha ya doha'. It has traditional Muslim roots; Damian was to be raised with no religion so his full devotion was to the Demon's Head. Which was why Talia disposed of his carer when she found out about her singing it. The song stuck with Damian nonetheless. 

When he began singing, Elainna looked up at him silently and let herself be rocked to sleep. Everyone poked their head round the door and marvelled at his suprisingly hypnotic voice. Dick cried and Tim fell in love all over again. 

"Everyone sit. I've got tea." Bruce limped in and set the tray down on the coffee table.

"Papu!" Elainna squirmed off Damian and bounced her way over to Bruce. She climbed up onto the couch and settled in Bruce's lap. She tried to be discreet in how she nudged Selena to the side and failed. She wanted her Papu all to herself. 

Later, Elainna insisted that she 'do' Cass' hair, which gave Dick a chance to speak to Damian. 

"Here's the last suit you needed. My first Nightwing suit." Dick slid over a case with his outfit tucked away inside. 

"Truly the end of an era, eh Richard?" Damian checked the suit and winced at the immediate assault of plunging necklines and high collars. "Does it feel odd not going out there anymore?"

Dick hugged Bea closer and shook his head. "No. By the time I got offered commisioner I was barely on the streets as it is. It's hard. The job is hard. It still comes with risks but it's perfect for my life. I don't want some supervillain finding out Nightwing has a kid then pulling a stunt with Elainna. It was hard enough with Bea. No offense babe." 

Bea chuckled and patted Dick's chest. "One kidnapping was definitely hard enough. Don't worry."

"No one's ever kidnapped me to get to you Dami." Tim moaned. 

Damian tutted and smacked Tim's thigh. "You know how to get out of a kidnapping you imbecile. It's much more intimate if you throw yourself infront of a sword or something like that. You'd challenge Talia to a fight for my life wouldn't you?" 

"I mean I wouldn't win. But I'd do it anyway." Tim said before crunching his biscuit. 

"Talia is his mom right. The one who has an army of assassins? Am I remembering right?" Bea whispered. 

"Yep. And Cass' mom is a good friend of hers. Probably the best of said army of assassins." Dick confirmed.

"Of course I surpass Talia and Cassandra surpasses Shiva. We're better then our mentors. Shiva also trained Timothy and Talia also trained Jason." Damian added.

Bea pinched her nose and pulled a face. "It's so hard to remember when you don't live it."

"Are you training her Dick? Just in case." Tim asked pointing at Elainna who had put Cass' hair into 7 uneven ponytails. 

"We haven't talked about it. I want to for her own safety but part of me wants her to just be normal. I don't want her becoming Nightwing 2.0. That's off the table, she's not living my life. I'm teaching her all the circus stuff and acrobatics. Just the other day she walked on her hands for the first time." 

"That shit went straight on my instagram so I could flaunt it that my kid's talented." Bea leaned back with a smug look. "It's horrible for other parents but it's true. Name a 3 year old who could do that." She chuckled. 

"Elainna." Dick called. "Why don't you leave aunt Cass alone for a moment and give Tim his present." She bolted over and took the wrapped gift from Dick's hand. Cassandra mouthed a thank you and loosened the tight bunches of hair poking at odd angels from her head. 

The wrapped rectangle was shoved onto Tim's lap. He faked not being able to open it and gritted his teeth dramatically. "I can't do it. I'm not strong enough." Tim sighed. "Can you help?" 

She tore the paper off easily and tapped the frame. "It's you and Dami."

The hand drawn picture showed a stick figure Tim kissing a slightly bigger stick figure Damian. They had huge heads and little bodies. The sun was stuck in the corner of the frame and the Manor was on a hill in the distance. Tim loved it. 

He held the frame up between him and Damian and gasped. "It's perfect. It looks just like us." 

She smiled sweetly and giggled, she ran off to tackle Cass again. 

* * *

Dick left after desert, Elainna had fallen asleep on Jason after dragging him round the Manor. They made him promise to come up soon when he had the time. 

Everyone split off to do their own thing, Jason retreated to his room and Cass went to train. Damian led Tim by his hand out into the gardens to see the sunset. The air was still warm. A light breeze blew Tim's hair off his face. Damian stared like he was the only thing that mattered. Bathed in the orange glow, Tim was still after all this time, the most beautiful man Damian had ever had the privilege of looking at. 

"You know Timothy. I thought about making a grand gesture for your birthday." Damian said as he swung their arms between them. "But we've never been about that. It's always just me and you."

Damian should've felt nervous, but he was just full of excitement. He stopped and turned Tim to face him, taking both of Tim's hands in his and squeezing them. 

"I've been thinking for a while now that maybe we should become an 'us' instead." Damian kissed Tim gently, their lips locking togehter and sending shivers through him just like the first time. He reached into his back pocket and bent to one knee. 

"Timothy Jackson Drake. Will you marry me?" 

Tim's brain stalled, he froze and stared down at the brilliant jewel. Suddenly the situation flipped and after all this time, Tim wasn't the one on bended knee. "I ugh. Umm. Can you stay here just one minute? Please? I'll be back." He tore his hand away and sprinted back to the Manor on legs that felt like rubber. 

Damian slumped to the floor and pulled at his hair. "No." He muttered. "No, no, no, this wasn't supposed to happen." 

"Damian!" Tim shouted as he ran back out the Manor. He pulled the disheartened Batman to his feet and caught his breath. "I'm sorry for running off. I'm sorry. It's just I've had this for so long because I didn't know if you'd feel the same."

With his heart thumping in his throat he opened his own ring box and held it between them. "Will you marry me?" 

"Yes? Yes! Yes I'll marry you. Timothy I- what?" Damian's spirit returned. He slid the ring onto his finger and grinned from ear to ear. "So you'll marry me too?" 

"Yes you idiot!" Tim held out his hand and let his fiancé slide on his ring. "I can't believe us."

"I don't care. This is perfect." Damian lifted Tim up and kissed him with all of his heart. 

"I love you so much." Tim said between presses of their lips. 

"Forever my Timothy. I'll love you forever." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got it done early!
> 
> It was difficult to write. After all I need to show where people are after all this time. The next chapter is smut then the one after introduces our next main character. 
> 
> Also if any of you don't know, Elainna Grayson is Dick's daughter in Batman Beyond. In the comics she's white and the mother is unknown.
> 
> I chose to make Dick settle down with Bea. Even though the 'Ric Grayson' story is controversial. Bea was a really great character that got introduced.
> 
> So like it or not Elainna is mixed race. We love a diverse bat family :)


	56. Transcendent (smut)

"Forever my Timothy. I'll love you forever."

Tim didn't want the embrace to end, if he could be held in the sunset forever, suspended in this very moment then he'd never tire of it. But all good things come to an end. The moment passed and now they were stuck, staring into eachother eyes.

 _What now?_ Tim asked himself.

"I umm Tim. Not to ruin a lovely moment but I expected you'd say yes so I took the liberty of preparing. Should we retire to the bedroom and celebrate?"

 _That's what!_ Tim said gleefully in his head.

"Are you sure you can keep up Batman? We haven't had sex in about 2 months." Tim teased.

Damian tapped his fingers down Tim's back them forcefully grasped his rear, he dug his nails in reveled in the way Tim gasped and bit his lip. "I'll assure you Drake that I can keep up. Not only am I going to make up for lost time, but I'll give you a taste of what will happen on our wedding night."

"I'm up for tasting something." 

The next thing he knew he was thrown over Damian's shoulder. He squirmed but Damian's huge arms crushed his waist. "Okay giving pointers here. This is not how you carry someone over the threshold." He giggled.

Damian carried Tim all through the house. With a grunt he flopped Tim down on the bed. He undressed Tim with care. After removing each article of clothing he massaged over the area and littered kisses across the skin. He was quick to remove all of his clothes, tearing them off with none of the care he took with Tim. 

"You really did anticipate this." Tim chuckled. "One day we'll have to leave the jockstrap on and see how much we can soak it in one session." 

Damian clicked his tongue. "I wear it because it makes me feel sexy. If I'm going to cum I want you to catch it in your mouth."

"You look hot as hell in a jockstrap Dami." Tim wiggled his toes as Damian kissed over his feet. He dragged his index finger over Tim's sole making him squirm, before starting his climb on Tim's calf. 

Each kiss up his leg felt tingly and new. Like Damian had never kissed him there before. He blew hot air over Tim's aching dick before continuing upwards. He licked the shape of Tim's chiselled v-line and wrapped his mouth round each ab. All while groping Tim's muscled chest with in his hands. 

"You know Tim. Your body has gone through so many changes while we've been together. I've always loved you no matter how you looked." Damian massaged Tim's pecs in his palms and licked up between them. "But I must say you look extraordinary as you are now." 

Tim had moulded his body into many shapes: Skinny and lithe. Bulky and swollen. Shredded and ultra-defined. Each iteration was short lived, he was too uncomfortable with being skinny. He looked odd when he'd bulked up to Jason-size while still being so short. When he shredded down to a movie star shape with every vein and muscle fibre showing he passed out from dehydration and was force fed a takeout and 2 gallons of water by Bruce. 

"Yeah I like it too. I like that we're a similar size." Tim gasped when Damian used his abdomen to tease the head of his cock. "Did you notice I started wearing height boosting insoles to look taller next to you?"

Damian slid up and laid next to Tim, his hands still roaming over Tim's pale body. "I noticed. I didn't say anything because to be honest it makes you easier to kiss. Little Timmy stopped growing and since we got together I grew an extra inch." Damian bit his lip and tanked the blow Tim threw at his arm.

"Gremlin." Tim tutted. He rolled Damian over pushed his legs wide apart. His hands slapped down on each round of Damian's ass. He dragged his tongue up the crease and gave another quick slap. He pushed his tongue into his lover's hole and spread his spit. Damian pushed back and nestled Tim's face deep, relaxing as Tim slicked him up and readied him. Tim pushed his finger in deep and pushed hard on the sweet spot he knew so well. Damian crumpled into the sheets and groaned. 

"Tim! Holy Fuck." Damian cried. Tim's rapid movement sent shock waves of pleasure tearing through him.

"Told you I'd be up for tasting." Tim quipped. He pushed his tongue in as deep as it would go and twisted his hand over Damian's tip. The way he pulsed and fought to hold back told Tim that he wouldnt last long.

"Tim. Tim. Ti-nuhhhh." Damian groaned as he he spilled into Tim's hand. He managed to catch all of Damian's cum, he fingered into Damian and smeared it all over his crack. "You're a dirty fucker you know that Timothy."

Tim collapsed back onto the bed and laughed. He cleaned his fingers with his tongue and closed his eyes for a brief moment. His second mistake of the night.

In a split second, Damian cuffed Tim's hands, while he stared at his now bound hands , Damian attached a magnet to the headboard and secured the cuffs against them.

"You made a mistake by making me cum so early. Now I can go for longer." Damian whispered.

"Happy mistakes?" Tim chuckled.

"No, I'd say rather pleasurable ones." Damian muttered into his ear. He grazed his teeth over Tim's neck. He kept eye contact all while he fished his tools from the drawer and settled back infront of Tim. He was like an animal eyeing it's prey.

He plunged a lubed finger into Tim without warning. He knew Tim's body well, he knew exactly where to reach and what to push. Tim's chest was rising and falling hard with each breath.

"Now Tim. Let's see how many times you cum tonight." Damian popped the egg inside his hole. He pulled it out by the handle to be sure it wouldn't get lost, then rammed it back in. Tim moaned needily and parted his legs further apart.

"Fuck yes. Turn it oo- oooon." Tim stuttered when Damian switched on the vibration early. "Ahhh. Fu- ahh." He panted.

_Evil shit._

Damian engulfed his cock in one move. Swallowing Tim down until his nose was nestled into his pubes. He sucked hard, hollowing his cheeks and creating a tight vacuum with his lips. All that happened was Tim bucking up and wiggling when he passed the back of his throat with ease.

He pulled off with a wet slurp when he felt Tim coming to the brink and wiped his mouth. He turned down the vibrations with his remote and drizzled lube over Tim's twitching length.

He slid himself down onto Tim and giggled at how odd he felt. His own warm seed and the cool lube tingled inside him. He ramped the vibration up and with a jerk of his hips he brought Tim to climax. It was a pleasure in itself to watch Tim fall apart. A dark blush covered all of his chest and face, his lips parted in a silent scream. His pretty eyes were hidden by his even prettier dark eyelashes. 

"You're so gorgeous when you cum like that." Damian cooed as he slid Tim in and out, assisted by the slick concoction inside him. Tim whined but couldn't force any words out. "I must see it again."

He set the vibration to a violent pulsing and put the remote down. He pushed up then slammed down hard, impaling himself on Tim.

"Damia-aghhh." Tim choked out.

Damian's hands tugged at Tim's hair. "I love you so much." He licked up the trail of drool that trickled from the corner of Tim's mouth, then kissed him hard. He completely dominated the kiss, Tim tried his best to kiss back but was hindered by the helpless moans he failed to keep down. 

"I promise I'll make more time for you. For us." Damian whispered. It was barely heard due to the obscene noise they made further down the bed and Tim whining noisily. "My fiancé."

"My. Fiancé." Tim gasped. He thust needily into Damian, while failing to control his trembling legs. Damian met his sloppy thrusts and sat back up. Tim's curve prodded and stroked his sweet spot with every pump of his hips. He'd missed this feeling and now he was savouring every last tingle. 

"Come on Drake. Give me one more." Damian groaned. He reached for the remote and blasted it as high as it would go. 

Tim whimpered under him and writhed. His legs kicked and shook aimlessly as the second orgasm rocked him. "Holy fuck. Damian. Ughhhh." Tim screamed. The vibrating stopped and he returned to a state of sanity. He panted for air and released his hands from the cuffs. "That definitely made up for lost time." He grasped Damian's leaking cock and jerked it. He rocked his hips up gently to stroke his prostate. White splattered his chest in seconds, Damian chewed his lips and hummed a moan of delight as he came. 

"Damn Tim. I think that's some of the best sex we've ever had." he said breathlessly

"It's different now right? You felt that?" Tim asked.

Damian kissed Tim's engagement ring and intertwined his ringed hand with Tim's. "Yes, because we're not boyfriends anymore. We're more, and soon we'll be paired for life. That and the fact I had two months to make up for."

"That was a transcendent orgasm. My legs were vibrating more than the egg." Tim chuckled. He traced lines up each of Damian's thighs.

"I meant what I said Tim. I will make more time for us. I want to be the best husband for you." Damian toyed with his ring and smiled shyly.

"You will be the best husband baby. But can we save the talk for afterwards? You're dribbling cum all over my dick and literally everything needs a clean up." Tim said with a slap of Damian's knee. Both boys giggled and prepared for the mess when Damian lifted himself up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found this so difficult to write. I haven't been in the writing mood but I'm a horn-ball and needed to bang this chapter out for my own sanity.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. Its not the best smut I've written but I have set the bar high for myself. I have a particularly interesting smut scene I want to write soon. Stay posted for it ;)


	57. Terry

Damian's day at work was a busy one. The office was scrambling around readying their projects. Their latest initiative was to completely modernise and rejuvenate Gotham through the latest technology they could offer. It was a joint effort between the City and various other companies. It was a momentous project, one Damian was spearheading. The board of directors elected Damian, as a young famous figure, he would serve better as the face of a new Gotham. Or so they said. 

Luckily he didn't have to go and present in front the board. Instead he was overseeing everyone else. It was a lucky escape, and quite frankly a cop out. But Damian didn't care, he'd been working himself to the bone trying to get everything ready and he was glad for the break.

For the first time in years the entire floor was loud. Most of the engineers, researchers and technicians preferered to work in silence. It was the only way they could concentrate. On this day it was a bustle of noise and shouting. Assistants running back and forth. Researchers pulling their hair out and stressing over their last details. Everything a place of delicate and precise work should not be. 

One boy stood out in the crowd. If he was busier, then Damian may not have noticed him. But his streetwear attire and youthful face snatched his attention. He almost looked like Jason: a flop of dark hair, a dark tan leather jacket and slim fit trousers. He sauntered across the room confidently, as if he belonged there all along. Damian couldn't help his curiosity, he walked up behind the boy and caught the edge of his conversation.

"How did you even get up here?" Warren McGinnis asked.

"It was easy Dad. You hold the coffee out like this and say it's for Mr Wayne. Have a panicked, disturbed look on your face and walk like you're an hour late."

Damian plucked the coffee from the boys hand and scowled. "Then I guess I can take that off your hands then." The boy looked up shocked and opened his mouth to challenge Damian.

"I'm sorry about this Mr Wayne." Warren apologised. He pushed the boy into his desk chair and shot him a warning look. "That's my son Terry. He, uhh isn't so keen on staying at home."

Damian looked past Warren to the uninterested boy. He grunted but didn't reply properly.

"Listen Damian, I've got to take him home. Could you get them to reschedule my presentation to later on?"

Damian looked back and smiled. "How about I watch him? You're up in 20 minutes and it's too late to move stuff around. But he can't be left here, there's enough chaos here before adding a child into the mix."

Warren breathed his relief and clapped Damian on the back. "Thank you so much. This is at least the 10th time you've saved me since I've been here." He shooed Terry towards Damian. "Go on son. And for god sake behave yourself."

The noise was negated completely by Damian shutting the door. If he was honest with himself he preffered the noise. Now he was plunged into an awkward silence with this stranger. He didn't know why he offered, but something about the boy's confidence held his attention.

Damian pulled a Zesti and a juice box from the fridge under the desk and offered them to the boy. He took the Zesti and turned his nose up at the juice box. "I'm not a kid. Who has a fridge in their office anyway? You too lazy to walk anywhere?"

"The previous owner had it installed. And those are my juice boxes! It's made with natural flavours and no added sugar. They're good for you." Damian scolded. He hated how he sounded like Bruce and his grandfather.

"You're just a walking advert for health. Mr Wayne says eat your greens." Terry chuckled to himself.

Damian twitched and turned his head away. He loaded up the Batcomputer built into his work machine and typed in 'Terry McGinnis.' He smirked when the boy's entire history came up on screen: social media, recently visited locations, public records, even his criminal record.

"Who is Charlie Bigelow?" Damian leaned back in his chair and stared the boy down.

Terry went bright red and pulsed with anger. "You looked me up! You had no right!"

"You walked into this building and bypassed the security. You're a criminal sitting in my office. You're rude and have an attitude." Damian sipped his stolen coffee. "So yes I looked you up. What's your deal Terrance McGinnis? Drop your attitude and I'll drop mine."

The switch was instantaneous. The smugness and attitude melted away and was replaced with an empty look. Terry's shoulders sagged forward and he looked shamefully down into his can. "Look, my parents were getting a divorce and I made a mistake that landed me in shit. I'm sorry for giving you attitude."

 _The boy knows when to pick his battles._ Damian thought to himself. 

"I hope you're going back to school in September." Damian pressed.

"I got out of juvy a month ago. Dad's been so busy with this new project you guys are working on he hasn't had time to get me into a new school for after the summer break. It's tough too, no good school wants a fuck up with a criminal record and they haven't got space left." Terry scratched his neck and flushed red. "I don't know if I should be talking about his personal business."

"Whatever you tell me stays here." Damian said as he tapped away at his computer. "You start Hamilton Hill School in September. You're welcome."

"What? W-" Terry stuttered. "That's the best school in the city! Dad can't afford that."

"I paid for your entire time there. You'd best not let me down and get bad grades." Damian smiled at the flustered boy. His piercing grey eyes looked anywhere but at his benefactor. 

He swept his hair to the side and blew out a long breath. Damian noticed the faintest hint of red in his hair under the light. "This is heavy. Thanks I guess?" Terry half smiled and blushed again. He picked at the desk and kept his gaze away from Damian's. "Why help me? Like you said I'm a criminal. I broke in here."

"Because in the last 5 minutes you've shown me what kind of young man you are. I believe in change Terry. I was reckless and dangerous when I was your age. With some help and guidance I became better and left my past behind. I know juvy is a tough place, and you probably put on an attitude as a defense. But this is the real world. You don't need to have a wall up and be rude to everyone. You can't. That hole is hard to claw your way out of, I know it." Damian pushed his bowl of candy towards the boy and took a lemon sherbet for himself. 

"You're not bad you know that?" Terry laughed and sampled the selection. 

"I've been told." Damian smirked again. The door knocked. Damian maneuvered the sweet to the side of his mouth and told the visitor to enter. "Ahh Becky. Thank you for this." He took the card from her hand and saw her out with a flashy grin. 

"Dad always says nice things about Becky." Terry remarked. 

"She is a lovely lady." Damian placed the card infront of Terry and returned to his seat. "That card gets you proper access to the building. It will only allow you to come to this floor and this floor only to see your dad. I'd rather not have you break in."

"Thanks." Terry mumbled.

"You're also free to come in here and talk to me anytime. The rest of the lab is out of bounds." 

Terry looked around the room and chewed his lip. Damian didn't mean to be intimidating, but he could see how this might be odd for the boy. "What does Terry McGinnis do in his spare time then? Sports? Art? Reading?"

"Lots of sport. I'm absolutely shredded since juvy. Such a cliché but it's just like the movies. I avoided people and spent all my time working out and reading. I used to do Muai Thai, Judo and Karate. I'd love to do that again. I know Hamilton Hill has a great wrestling team so I'll definitely try out." A spark of excitement crept into Terry's voice. It brought a smile to Damian's face. Terry's shyness had dissolved completely. 

"Already planning ahead, I like it. If you're interested, my sister runs a dance, yoga and self defence studio downtown. She's moving to Hong Kong later this year but the studio will still be running. There's no set discipline but she taught a mix of different martial arts." Damian suggested. 

"Do I look like a dancer?" Terry scoffed. 

"Do I? My sister taught me for years. I'm good at it. Ballet would teach you discipline greater than any martial art. It requires complete mastery of the body." Damian corrected Terry with a stern tone. 

Terry's eyes drifted down to Damian's hand resting on the desk. The hand with the dazzling ring on it. "That's not a fashion statement is it? Who's the guy?" 

"Someone special." Damian answered conservatively. 

"It's Tim Drake isn't it?" Terry smirked and puffed up with pride. 

_How'd he? What?_ Damian's brain stuttered.

"Yes it is. How did you know?" Damian asked with genuine curiosity. 

"You guys are so obvious, so much that I know you aren't even keeping it a secret, you're both just not confirming anythin'. The Internet has basically been debating you two for years. Are they, aren't they? But anyone with half a mind could put it together. Lucky for you two no one at the news has a brain cell." Terry said as if it was obvious. 

"Have you been stalking us Mr McGinnis?" Damian chuckled. "You clearly know a lot about us."

"I read a lot, like I said working out and reading. I read nearly every paper online and off." 

Damian nodded and hummed. "Knowledge is power."

"Has it been long? Y'know since you got engaged." Terry asked curiously. 

"A week ago. He has a ring too. It turns out we both intended to propose." Damian confirmed. He touched his ring lovingly and felt a warmth spread in him. Another knock at the door brought an end to his fuzziness. 

Warren shuffled into the room and held up his hands. "I think it went well. I hope he wasn't any trouble." 

Damian chuckled, "Not at all. You raised a remarkable young man. I hope you don't find it rude of me but I took the liberty of paying for his time at Hamilton Hill school for after summer break."

"Mr Wayne, I'm grateful, really. But I can't accept that. I can't afford to pay you back. I-"

"It's not for you it's for him. Call it an investment in his person. He won't let me down and he himself will pay me back by sticking to it and staying out of trouble." Damian shooed Terry back to his dad with a smirk. Just as they left Warren mouthed a thank you to Damian. 

* * *

Tim crumpled onto Damian's lap. The desk chair swivelled under both their weight and swung round to the windows. Tim sighed and burrowed his head into his fiancé's shoulder. Damian wrapped his arms around Tim and just cradled him rather than speak. 

After at least 15 minutes, Tim broke first: "I'm dead." 

Damian kissed his head and squeezed him tighter. "I understand. You've been awake for 72 hours casework and being stuck in board meetings. You can take the night off tonight." 

Tim giggled. "I planned to. I'd be more of a liability if I went out in the field tonight." He placed his left hand over Damian's and felt his ring.

"After getting shot, stabbed, beaten, tortured and captured all it took was a day of board meetings to get Timothy Drake to know his limits." Damian laughed and hauled Tim off of him. 

"My entire branch of the company is a madhouse right now. Don't underestimate the humble meeting. It'd drive you mad." Tim dusted away non existent dust and swept though his hair. "What did you do today?" 

Damian shoved his belongings into his bag and got ready to leave. "Ferrying people to you at the right times and babysitting." Tim's eyebrow perked up. "Warren McGinnis' boy. What a fascinating young man. He reminds me of us. A little of Richard. A little of me and Jason."

"They're good kids. Him and his wife had a messy divorce. The kids are split up, the youngest lives with his mom." Tim opened the office door for Damian as he spoke.

"He really is remarkable."

Tim looked at him from the corner of his eye. "You're not gonna raid Bruce's stack of adoption papers are you?"

"Of course not." Damian paused for thought. "Wait, what?"

* * *

It was nearly a two weeks later when Damian walked back into his office to find a tired looking Terry slumped in his desk chair. His feet were up on the desk and Damian's radio was turned up. 

"You were right Mr Wayne. These juice boxes aren't bad." Terry slurped the carton and smiled. 

"Make yourself at home why don't you?" Damian tutted. He filed his papers into a folder and placed it on the shelf. He smiled inwardly at Terry giggling to himself, but kept his face straight. 

"I've only been here 10 minutes. Dad's in a meeting for the next hour I checked his schedule." Damian smacked the boy's feet off his desk and frowned. "Hey! I took my shoes off."

"This is my side of the desk. Put your feet up that side." He shook the chair until Terry huffed and waddled round to the other side. He sat in his warmed chair and readjusted the height and support Terry had messed with. "You look like shit McGinnis."

"Thanks a bunch asshole." Terry groaned. "Dad's making me do some summer school stuff to catch up and its so boring." 

"He only wants the best for you. You don't want to be the class idiot in September do you?" Damian closed down his computer and focused entirely on the boy.

"I don't. I get that I don't really have friends right now but there's still things I could be doing. Not listening to some greasy old guy lecture me on cell structure. I wanna go to actual school. I want to meet people. I hate being cooped up, that's why I keep coming here." Terry was buzzing with excitement, despite his fatigue. 

"Was your father okay with me paying for you? I know it's not even nearly as much as private schools, but it still costs money and I don't want to undermine his parenting." 

Terry chuckled. "He freaked out a little. Asking me how I conned it out of you. Eventually he just accepted it. He said he shouldn't expect anything less, considering he left me in the care of a Wayne." Terry leaned back and tapped his feet on the desk. "How's the wedding planning going?"

"Very good, thank you for asking. We're bouncing ideas around constantly. We finished our guest list last night." Damian answered. 

Terry's looked up slowly. A charming smile crossed his face, Damian was sure it could rival Dick's. "Am I invited? Come on Mr Wayne, I'm your favourite." 

"No you are not." 

"Your favourite or not invited?"

"Both." 

"Rude." Terry pouted. 

Damian laughed and shook his head. In truth, a lot of people weren't added to their guest list who perhaps should have been. They had made a careful decision to make the wedding nearly exclusive to heroes. While they had friends outside of the community, they knew that if their hero friends attended then regular people that were oblivious to their night life could not. 

"It's a small affair. We're not having a huge wedding." Damian lied. In fact the wedding was just over 100 guests so far. 

"What about a honeymoon? You could visit your home, y'know your first one?" Terry suggested. 

"Saudi Arabia?" Terry nodded. "You mean the country where being gay can get you whipped, tortured, beaten, jailed, castrated and even executed?" Damian raised his eyebrows and held back a laugh at Terry's dark blush. 

"O-oh yeah." He looked away and fiddled with his hands. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I haven't been back there in a long time and I don't plan on ever going back either." Damian shrugged. 

Terry half smiled, it was an embarrassed look. He didn't know why he even suggested it but now he felt guilty.

"Have you had lunch today?" Damian flicked through his takeout app. 

"No. The greasy guy didn't leave until 3 then I got dressed up and came here." Terry said while texting. 

"How does Thai food sound?" 

* * *

Terry's visits became far more regular as following weeks went on. Sometimes he'd just pop his head in and say hi before leaving with his dad, other times Damian would put off his entire afternoons work just to indulge Terry's conversation. When Warren was in a particularly long meeting, Damian brought takeout again and made a makeshift table for himself, Tim and Terry. 

Terry confessed that he didn't know how to cook, nor did he like being home alone. Damian was fine with his visits, so he told Terry to not bother justifying his presence. 

After taking Terry off Damian's hands one day in late August, Warren asked for a private word with the Wayne. 

"Listen I know Terry can be a bother. But I wanted to thank you for all you've done for him." Warren said with gratitude. 

"I just gave him a pass into the building and paid the small fee for his school. I didn't do anything els-" 

"No Damian. It's you. He likes you, talking to you, being around you. I know he talks to you about things he can't talk to me about. You've been a good influence on him, the difference is night and day. I won't lie Damian, it's hard being a single dad especially after his issues, but he's trying his best and that makes it all worth it. That's your influence. I want to say thank you." Warren held out his hand. 

Damian wasted no time in taking it and gripping it firmly. "There's no need Warren. He's a pleasure to be around. On rough days I actually look forward to him coming to harrass me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's Terry McGinnis. I wonder what role he'll play in the story as it unfolds...
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed it :) next chapter is being written right now. Should be done by Wednesday. Friday at the latest if any problems arise :)


	58. Old, Just Us

"Nuhhh. So tight. It won't fit." Tim groaned.

"Straighten your back Timothy. Will. Go. In." Damian said through gritted teeth.

"You're not doing it right. Move over Damian let me have a go." Jason took Damian's place. He rubbed his hands together and got stuck in. He struggled in an equal manner. 

"Ouch Jay! There's no need to shove my back like that. Ugh. Ahhh yes! You did it... I- I don't think I can move." Tim shuffled uncomfortably and heaved in a breath to replace the one Jason forced out of him. His lungs felt tight in his chest, everywhere ached. He stretched his back and winced in discomfort. 

"How does it feel?" Damian asked.

"Honestly?" Tim gasped and heaved in another deep breath. "Like shit. I can barely move. Ahhh it hurts."

He turned round slowly and looked in the mirror. Jason and Damian were stifling laughs behind his back. He adjusted his package and made the situation worse. "Uhh guys help." Tim spun around and pleaded with his face. "Stop laughing!" Tim threw up his arms and tore the armpit seams of the suit.

Damian and Jason fell into fits of hysterical laughter. Tim stared blankly until they were done, it took 3 minutes for them to stop. 

"I'll solve this. I promise. Let's get you out of this." Damian pulled Jay to help him. They removed the clasps at the front of the suit and peeled it down Tim's body.

After talking for years about it, Tim had finally organised a Young Justice reunion. The condition was that they wear their old suits. Tim was so confident that he could fit into his original Robin costume, that he left it until two days before to try it on. Not only did he need help from Jason and Damian to fit into it, but now he'd ruined one of the two remaining original suits he had. 

Tim stepped out of the trousers and breathed in a huge breath. "Thank god. My balls were seconds away from getting lodged in my stomach."

"Yeah I saw way too much." Jason cringed.

"I wouldn't have even got the trousers on if I kept the cup in. I'd definitely still fit into my all red suit. This one is just too small. It has to be this one." Tim reached for his lounge clothes.

"Nuh uh Timothy. Go put your uniform on. You can take over my patrol tonight while I sort this. I'll take the whole thing apart and sew panels in to make it bigger. I can have it done by the time you get back." Damian shooed him towards the lockers. "Spoiler will meet you out there."

Damian took the Robin suit and made his way over to Alfred's corner of the cave. He loved working in this space, often in his downtime he'd come and make improvements to his suit, enjoying the ambient noise of the cave and the soothing sound of the sewing machine.

Jason followed him over and helped to disassemble the suit, picking the seams apart.

"I got them designs you wanted. I had to rummage through years of shit in my lockup. I dropped them into your locker when I got here." Jason said casually.

"Thank you Jason. I wanted to file it into the computer. I'm redoing part of the database." Damian lied. His real intentions were a close kept secret.

Jason helped until he was no use anymore. Once he'd helped measure out the panels and cut them to size he left Damian to the grueling job of sewing the layers and layers of armour and material together. Only once coming back to bring him a coffee, receiving a grunt as a thank you. 

* * *

"Bout time." Jason barked. "It's been done for nearly an hour now." 

Tim bounded up the steps and kissed Damian on the cheek. He held up the suit and marvelled at the craftsmanship. The new panels were true enough to the original spirit of the design that it didn't look like a completely new suit. "This looks great."

"The new parts are made of the same stuff the Nightwing suit was made from." Damian explained. "Then just a sheet of Robin red and green material over the top to match each part's colour. This suit absolutely could never go into battle. The sides of the legs and body are wide open."

Tim left to go slip it on. A wave of nostalgia overtook him. Something about wearing the green and red again made him feel like a 12 year old again. He swiped his thumb over the 'R' on the front. The one he designed himself. The one that was so personal to him and so different from the others. Along with the trousers, rather than booty shorts, it was the only thing he could use to distance himself from Dick and Jason. The only way of saying 'I'm the new Robin', while still honoring Dick's work and Jason's memory. 

It was liberating to be in the suit again. He was completely stripped back of technology and wings. His domino was just plain white out lenses. No heads up display, no thermal imaging. Just his own keen eye. 

He walked proudly out of the lockers and stood tall in front of Jason and Damian.

 _If their smiles are any indication. I must look good!_ Tim thought. A giant smile took hold of his face. 

"Damn I forgot how well you suit it." Jason murmured. "Shall I put mine on and fight you again? For old times sake." 

Tim chuckled and waved him down. "I think twice was enough. I'll admit the first time was scarier when you were pretending to be Hush. Or Hush pretending to be you... Or you pretending to be Clayface pretending to be you? Whatever." 

"How'd I do?" Damian asked while snaking up to him. He rubbed Tim's exposed arm and checked over the seams. 

"Great. Really great. I feel like little me again." Tim gasped when Jason's arm snaked around his head. 

"Ya see I had him like this. Then I taunted Bruce. Something like-" Jason cleared his throat. "I'll make it simple for you. You gotta get to me before I slit the pretender's throat. Tell me Batman, you let one kid die. Wanna go for two?" He chuckled and let Tim go. "Then I made the switch with Clayface and got the hell out of there."

"I personally rank your scheme to get back at Father in my top 10 favourite cases. You have a brilliant mind Jason." Damian said while adjusting Tim's belt. 

"Don't lie to him Dami. Jay's as dumb as a bag of orang-" Jason punched Tim in the gut, putting an abrupt stop to his joke. 

"Huh, it's still fun beating up Robin."

* * *

Damian landed the Bat plane expertly on the platform outside the tower. In a change of last minute plans that worked out perfectly for both boys, Damian had agreed to accompany Tim to the Titans Tower for his Young Justice reunion. Batman had been called upon by Emiko Queen, Red Arrow, for a favour he owed her and the distance from San Francisco to Star City was short enough to warrant Damian's company. 

When they walked into the entrance hall, it was already made up, ready for the party. They all trawled through hours of old footage and hundreds of pictures to recreate some of the parties they used to have. The parties they shouldn't have been having at 12-16 years old on school nights. Tim had fond memories of those days. Just letting go and being a normal teenager with his friends was a welcome escape from everything at home in Gotham. His dad was in hospital then at home recovering, his mom was dead, Dana was new on the scene, the earthquake destroyed Gotham dragging him back to help out in No Man's Land. All of it. Being a teenager for once eased the pain of everything else he'd lost and endured. 

"Dami! Timmy!" Bart whizzed over and hugged the pair. Damian got a wet on-the-lips kiss that lasted a fraction too long. If it was anyone but Bart, Tim would've gotten defensive. But Bart was Bart and his particular liking to Damian he'd developed over the years was harmless. Tim didn't even question it the first couple of times it happened, he knew Bart wouldn't try anything more and he loved the way Damian was the one blushing for once. Tim also received a kiss. One on the cheek that was quick but no less wet. 

"I was gonna help but it seems like you did it all." Tim said while peeling his mask away. 

"Got bored at 3am sooo." He blinked away and returned in a crackle of electricity. "I took your stuff up. I promise I didn't look through it like last time."

"Thanks Bart. I can't wait to get out this costume. We had a long night and just crashed in the cave for a few hours before getting up and right into the plane." Tim explained. 

"Why don't you two have a shower." Bart offered. "A long bath maybe? Could even have a swim after! It's only 7:30 in the morning so no one will be awake yet. Except Jackson. He woke up just a bit ago and hopped in the pool which y'know is an Atlantean thing-"

"We'll just shower then come out for breakfast. Thanks Bart." Damian stopped Bart's ramble before he got into full swing. 

* * *

Damian tried his best to keep a life separate for Tim. He credited their successful 5 years to keeping a healthy distance and not living permanently in each other's proximity. He fought to stay away from Titans Tower. The residents were Tim's friends. It was Tim's second home. It was Tim's life. 

But eventually he was dragged through a boom tube while still dressed in lounge clothes because he'd declined his last 5 invitations to accompany Tim for the week. He thought he'd feel awkward or out of place. But he instantly felt welcomed, like he was a Titan. He made a deal with Tim that he'd come at least once every two months so he wasn't intruding. As much as he loved the new friends he'd made, he still needed Tim to be away from him from time to time. 

He was reminded of the feeling of belonging every time he came to the tower. The tooth brush he left, the clothes in the wardrobe, his little personal items he kept on the drawers all reminded him of the home he'd made here. They even went as far as to make him an honorary member. His uniform was displayed with the others. His dietary requirements were listed on the laminated sheet in the kitchen. Damian Wayne was a Titan in name and spirit. 

"I love you." Tim blurted out while staring absently at Damian in his towel. 

"I love you too handsome." Damian laid his towel out on the bed and flopped down onto it. He laid on his front and relaxed for a bit while Tim played with his back. 

He traced each of Damian's scars. His time as Batman wasn't being kind to him. The few scars he used to have were now multiplied tenfold. Knives, gunshots, burns from bombs and acid. That was only his back, Tim knew his chest and abdomen was littered with even more. 'An occupational hazard' Damian had called it, but each new one that appeared hurt Tim a little more. They never blended in, his bronze skin seemed to highlight each jagged line and wrinkled bullet hole. 

Everyone in the family had seen Bruce topless, it honestly made Tim sick seeing it. His body was mutilated, ruined, tortured. Tim never wanted to end up like that, he didn't want Damian to either. Damian loved his own body sometimes too much. Even in its current state he made Tim learn how to wax him properly because he could no longer go to a professional. His beauty always shined through, Tim never saw him as any less gorgeous. But it was a glaring reminder that each puffy, tender mark was a moment where his Damian could've been taken away. 

"We should probably get dressed and have breakfast my love." Damian whispered. 

"Yeah." Tim said quietly, he pressed a kiss to a nasty bullet wound and got up to find clothes. 

* * *

"When is everyone arriving?" Damian asked as he clipped on Tim's Robin cape. 

"In about half an hour. It ends at 9pm so whenever you're finished with Emiko you can come right back. I'll probably be in bed." Tim turned and gave Damian a long kiss. They walked out hand in hand to the plane. "Please be safe." Tim urged. "Star City isn't as nice as they like to make out." 

"I'm aware Timothy. Don't worry about me, just have fun. You've been talking about this for years, enjoy yourself." Damian waved and boarded the Batplane. He flew north leaving Tim alone in the mild September air. 

Kon and Tim were talking about their costumes when Empress arrived. She strutted in with power and confidence radiating from her. A strong figure of gold and purple. 

"Jeez Superboy you've barely aged. You still look pubescent." She removed her helmet and set it down on the table near the entrance. 

"Anita! You look great." Kon called. He met her for a hug and led her over to Tim. 

They spoke about Anita's job in the DEO for some time. She told them of her adventures around the world as well as her part in busting a global meta human trafficking ring. 

"Hey guys" They spun around and saw a woman dressed in a plain beige coat with matching trousers and boots. "This is the best I could do. Robin have you got any smoke pellets to sell it?" 

"Greta." Cassie passed her a drink.

"How's normal life treating you?" Anita asked. 

"Like it treats anyone else our age. It's difficult. Meta human law is still a new practice so business can be slow. Give me time to focus on my kids though." Greta answered with a wide grin. 

"Kids! Plural? We need pictures." Impulse buzzed. 

She passed her phone around with pictures of her two young children. She was a proud mom, filling up with pride as everyone told her how cute they were. 

"No one else has kids then?" 

"I got a 5 year old." Cissie joined the group and allowed herself to be hugged by everyone. "Being an olympian let me settle down early and have a baby. My husband is the best, he's not emasculated by my money or anything. He loves staying at home while I'm training or competing." 

"You're mom isn't outside with binoculars right?" Tim asked. He peered over her shoulder at the entrance. Everyone snickered and was hit with a flood of funny memories of Cissie's overbearing mother.

Cissie guffawed and held her stomach. "Me and my mom don't speak much anymore. It was great for a while but we grew apart. My little Missie started practicing with a bow because she wanted to be like her mommy, not because I wanted her to be a superhero."

"Oh my god is that Traya? Who's that with her? Where's Reddy" Kon peered towards the entrance. 

Traya skipped into the hall and greeted everyone. The tall and very regular looking man hung back. Tim walked over and looked puzzled at him. He looked familiar but he could not put a name to his face. 

"It is me Robin. John." 

"Really? Last time I checked you still had a metal body." Tim asked. Red Tornado sighed and shimmered his adaptable body into the red suit they knew well. 

"Reddy!" Everyone cheered. 

They mingled and talked for hours. Sharing stories and catching eachother up on what their lives had been like after the team. Tim was shocked and shocked to find ourt no one was surprised that he was gay. Everybody thought him and Conner had a romance going on behind everyone's back. Much like every other person who'd ever interacted with them did. 

He was stuck in a permanent state of nostalgia all night. Everything faded away leaving him stuck in the past for just one night where all that mattered was his oldest friends. Everyone had grown into fantastic people. Cissie never felt the call to action again. Traya and John finally managed to have a consistent father/daughter relationship after so much turmoil. There was a clear divide between the team. Those who had a life and those who had put their on hold for the hero gig. But with Tim engaged, Bart loving life and Cassie and Kon being happy in the hero life, all was right in the group despite their different lifestyles. 

Just as everyone was getting ready to leave, Tim gathered them round for a word. "Now before everyone goes. I'd like to say I'm so glad everyone made it in life. Whether we're heroes or live on the more normal side of things, their friends we made back at Mount Justice were friends for life. We may be old but it's still 'just us'. I'd also like to remember the one friend who couldn't be here tonight. The guy who made us laugh to no end and annoyed us until we wanted to pull our hair out. The absolute fraggin' coolest of us all. Slobo." 

"Slobo!" Everyone said in unison. 

* * *

"Mornin' baby." Tim mumbled. He pulled Damian onto his chest and revelled in the sensation of his warm cheeks and hot breath on his chest.

Damian shuffled and burrowed himself deep under Tim's arm. "You smell so good today. I fucking stink."

"I didn't feel you get in."

Damian pulled himself up and settled on his shoulder. "You weren't in a deep sleep. You weren't doing the snore yet." He giggled and started to play with the stubble of chest hair next to his nose. His emerald ring glittered in the morning light right above Tim's heart

"How's Emiko?" Tim whispered. He didn't want to upset the delicate atmosphere they'd fallen into.

"Good. She said I shaved 3 days off the case. My debt is paid, I'm a free man." Damian murmured. "How was your get together?"

"It was great. So great. I feel like I'd forgotten the feeling it gave me but last night was just-" Tim hummed. "Just the best. I'm still buzzing."

"You're going to tell me all about it later aren't you?" Damian asked. He propped himself up on his elbow and stared into Tim's sleepy eyes.

"Oh I'm not gonna stop. Non stop gossip." Tim giggled and took Damian by surprise by locking their lips together gently. 

Damian's hands ghosted over Tim's body. His hands tenderly brushing down his ribs and settling on Tim's hips. Tim held Damian in a similar way. His slender hands looked bright and pale on his lover's dark bronze flesh. They lazily kissed in the morning sun until they naturally pulled apart and held each other again. 

Tim caught a whiff of Damian's armpit and wrinkled his nose. He tugged Damian up out of bed and slapped his bare behind. "Come on, shower time you stinker."

"Only I'm allowed to say that Timothy. We can't all wake up smelling of roses like you."

Tim scoffed and shoved him through the bathroom door, giggling as he locked it behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of smut next chapter. Should be done by Saturday.


	59. Mr Drake (Smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular smut chapter has a lot of plot. Rather than being just sex, there's some info and story intertwined more than the previous smut chapters.
> 
> Warnings:  
> Roleplay  
> dom/sub dynamics  
> Consensual sexual violence  
> Mentions of fisting

Damian walked the corridors with a delirious grin stretched across his face. The higher ups at WE looked at him with odd but sincere expressions. Damian reasoned that perhaps they didn't ask why he was so happy because they were simply pleased to see him not wearing a violent scowl. The real reason was stowed away in his mind and in the briefcase by his side.

 _If only they knew._ Damian laughed in his head.

He rounded the corner and dipped into Lucas' office. Just meters away from Tim's door. He smiled brightly at Lucas and walked cheerily over to him. The faintest swing in his hips that wasn't meant for the assistant, but couldn't be helped. Lucas tilted his head curiously and pushed his work away.

"Damian. Sir. Are you feeling okay? Your face is wrong." Lucas chuckled and fiddled with his glasses.

"Perfect Lucas. I came to peek at yours and Timothy's schedule." Damian softened his eyes pleadingly. Lucas handed him the sheet. He looked it over and confirmed that his memorisation was in fact correct. "Timothy is having a telephone meeting right now?"

"Yep." Lucas popped the 'p' and clicked away a notification on his computer.

"You were due an hour break 15 minutes ago Lucas." Damian tutted, with genuine concern. "Mr Belleau, you'd best not be working yourself too hard."

"I had some work to do." Lucas shrugged.

"Take your break Lucas. And take an extra 15 minutes to make up for your hard work. I'll keep Tim company, he'll never know." Damian suggested with a wink. 

"Sure! The call is kinda important though, so you might be waiting in silence for the next 20 minutes." Lucas grabbed his coat and left. Beaming at Damian while he did.

_I know that call is important. It makes this more fun._

* * *

Tim watched as Damian slipped into the office and plopped down on one of his couches far over the space. He toed off his shoes and yanked his tie off. Getting comfortable as he usually would. Tim saw the twinkle in his eyes and let his curiosity take his mind for a wander. Damian met his eyes and gave a time stopping smile. A rare image, Damian was rarely ever so happy that he let his awkward, toothy smile break out. 'My ugly smile' Damian called it, but Tim begged to differ.

"Mr Drake? Tim?"

"Sorry Calvin. I got distracted. Carry on." Tim said down the phone.

Damian swayed up to the desk, with his briefcase in hand. He set it down and organised his papers. He held the first up to Tim and let him read the sheet of paper with scrawled sharpie words covering it:

_**'I love you, handsome!'** _

Tim blushed and mouthed 'I love you too.' Damian placed the sheet on the desk and pulled the next one out.

_**'Before we start. Don't worry! This is all old office paper that was going in the recycling anyway.'** _

He flipped it over to show the printed itineraries and other office typing on the back.

_**'And love actually was on my mind because it's September and the holidays are fast approaching.'** _

**_'I know this call is important. So please carry on and finish it. Don't cut it short on account of me.'_ **

' _ **But when you finish... You're going to be frustrated.'**_

Tim frowned. He was puzzled at what Damian meant. But the next few sheets would clarify. 

_**'It's been so long since we had any office shenanigans. And I'm incredibly impatient as you well know.'** _

_**'So I memorised your schedule and chose the worst time for you. Which is incidentally the best time for me.'** _

_**'I prepared myself before work and packed a few bits to help me in my antics.'** _

_**'I give you forewarning that I'm about to be very naughty. You might feel like I deserve a spanking.'** _

Tim bit his lip and adjusted himself. He was already filling out his boxers and getting hot. His collar began to stick to his neck with perspiration. He shook his head and tried to warn Damian off. 

_**'You can enjoy the show. But if you want to fuck me after. You'll need to put me in my place.'** _

_**'Tell me what a naughty boy I am.'** _

_**'Show me who the real boss is!'** _

_**'MR DRAKE!'** _

The last sheet sent shocks of arousal through Tim. Though they rarely ever used it. Whenever Damian felt particularly submissive, like in this very moment, he would always use 'Mr Drake'. It drove Tim wild. The very utterance of it from Damian made his cock spring up. Although now he was in a predicament, because in his distraction his meeting had taken a backseat in his mind and Calvin Anderson of Kord Industries was calling the very words that were turning him on. 

"Mr Drake. Can you hear me okay? Mr Drake?" 

Damian held up another sheet:

_**'Focus on your work! If you really want me to stop then throw a pen at me or something.'** _

"Sorry Calvin. The connection went a bit crackly." Tim laughed nervously. "Doesn't reflect very well on our tech if a phone call has issues. Tell me more about the patents for the composite engines. I know your end is handling more of the legal than development but I want to stay caught up. I'm like this with all joint projects."

Damian blew Tim a kiss and slinked away into the middle of the room. He threw his blazer across the room and unbuttoned his shirt at a ridiculously slow pace. He shrugged it off and massaged his pecs in his hand. He rubbed each dark nipple until they were hard and begging between his fingers. 

Tim was struggling to split his mind. He hummed and kept his business partner talking while he enjoyed his show. He started to record the call just in case. He shook his head again at Damian. It lacked conviction, he was grinning ear to ear and blushing a deep scarlet. If he said stop, Damian would stop without question. But if the way Tim had to suck drool back in was any indication of his seriousness, Damian saw it as a green light to carry on. 

Damian pulled down his trousers and pants, and yanked his socks off, exposing himself fully for Tim. He saw Tim's pupils dilate. His mouth parted open in awe. 

He held up a sharpie to Tim and walked over to Tim's mirrored cabinets. Letter by letter he wrote across his torso, while massaging his behind so Tim would squirm. He turned round and twirled, showing off his temporary branding: 'Property of Tim Drake.'

Tim squeezed his eyes shut and tipped his head over the back of the chair. The show was too much. He needed to focus, and Damian knew this. "I'll have my assistant email them to you after we're done here." Tim responded to his caller.

When he looked up, Damian had disappeared. He caught a glimpse of his dark body under the glass desk and nudged him away with his foot. He couldn't do this now. It was a mistake to use his foot.

Damian held his leg with an iron grip, his shoe and sock was discarded with lightning speed. Damian's mouth was on him, sucking, licking, kissing. He treated Tim's foot with all the care he would his cock. He took Tim's big toe in his mouth like it would give him the white reward that he craved.

Tim caved, fighting was too hard. He reorganised his brain's priorities and put the call and Damian at equal standing. He jabbed his foot forward and curled his toe down, pushing Damian's tongue. The naked boy's other hand fumbled with the other foot, removing the shoe and sock quickly.

Just as the feeling became pleasurable, it was gone. Tim was left alone, until his feet were sandwiched onto a long warm organ.

Damian used Tim to glide his foreskin and tease his head. When Tim got the message, he slid the cock between his slick toes. He held his hand below the desk, Damian placed his hand on Tim's. He used Damian's hand like a toy. He thrust his crotch up into his palm. The material had been straining to contain Tim since the moment his fiancé had undressed. Now he was beginning to leak through. A dark spot of precum grew on the beige material, more and more each time he fucked up into Damian's palm.

"How does lunch sound later this week Tim? Once this project is done, we should go on a spa retreat like last time. Us working boys deserve pampering." Calvin offered.

"We could do lunch on Thursday? Spa retreat sounds great to Calvin." Tim said cheerily. He shoved his leftover foot into Damian's jaw and held his hand down onto his leaking cock. "I'm in dire need of a pedicure, the guy who does mine just doesn't service me like he used to."

Damian thrust his hips up needily one final time. Something resembling a moan escaped his filled mouth. He slid out from under the desk and grinned at Tim. He held up his hand and shuffled off to his briefcase. He returned with lube and a short dildo.

The toy was popped onto the floor next to Tim, the suction cup keeping it firmly in place. Damian knelt in front of it and bared his ass. His smooth hole beckoning Tim to drop the phone and fuck him dry. Right there and then.

"Oh I completely forgot to mention the tweaks we made to the fuel injection. So you know the new biofuel recipe-" Calvin continued. Tim frowned, he was desperate now. He reached down to touch, but was slapped away by Damian.

Lube was drizzled down his crease. Two fingers were rammed inside with no teasing. Damian whined and jerked on the floor. He continued his assault. The faint slick sounds were driving Tim mad. He had to listen to Calvin, this was important work. He cursed Damian for doing this now.

Damian sank down on the dildo and rode it hard. He breathed through a long moan and braced himself on the floor. He couldn't see Tim's face but he knew he must've been squirming. He knew he must've been dying to replace the toy. He allowed himself to moan properly. He peeked over his shoulder and saw Tim glaring at him with a dark look only reserved for those Tim hated.

"Might've been the wind." Tim said through gritted teeth. "I've got a window cracked open."

Damian moaned again. Higher pitched and tonnes more theatrical. He bounced on the toy until the squelching was deafeningly loud. He imagined it was Tim, exhausted from a long day and in need of release. This spurred him on, each rise of his hips pulled the toy out to it's very tip then his hole engulfed it until he was squashed onto the latex balls at its base. 

Tim looked down at Damian fucking himself by his side. His movements were jerky and uncontrolled. A telltale sign he was close to orgasm. Tim decided to fully commit to the fantasy, if Damian wanted rough play and punishment from Mr Drake, he was going to get it. He grabbed a fistful of Damian's dark hair and yanked it back hard enough for him to understand but not so hard that it hurt. "Don't you dare cum." Tim snarled. He threw his head forward and sat back in his chair.

"Yes sir." Damian whispered.

"No, I said don't you dare complete the final tests without me." Tim chuckled, the darkness in his voice replaced with business charm. "I'd hate to miss it."

Damian rocked his hips lightly on the toy keeping himself on the edge, but not daring to go over it. Not after Tim told him not to.

"Yep. That's all good. It was good to catch up Calvin. I'll get my assistant to organise our lunch date. Bye." Tim hung up and slammed the phone down. He huffed as he shrugged his jacket off and unbuttoned his shirt. He was emotionally stuck between annoyed and turned on beyond words. 

He made light work of his trousers and boxers, he let them crumple at his feet before he stepped out of them and round to Damian's front. "You remember our safe word and signals?" Tim asked. Damian nodded and flushed red, the only reason Tim would ask that is if he had something more risqué in mind. "Suck it." He commanded.

Damian tested him with some strokes of his hand. He wrapped his lips around Tim's head. His mouth was a blissful relief to Tim. He'd been humping fabric for 25 minutes, wishing it was this warmth, this tongue. He thrust forward and pushed all the way in. This throat.

Tim pushed his head down and growled. Damian was so good. Good enough to bring Tim close to orgasm in under a minute. He pulled out and wiped the long string of spit of Damian's chin. He bent down and licked it off, before forcing his tongue inside the boy's mouth. Being in his submissive mood, Damian let Tim lead the kiss, he only reacted to Tim's movements rather than try his own. Tim bit down hard on Damian's lip and rolled the bleeding flesh between his teeth. He moaned under Tim's mouth and lapped up the metallic blood with his tongue.

"Come on. I wanna ruin you. Maybe you will get that smack." Tim growled. He held Damian by the arm and guided him over to the couch. He made him kneel on the leather and throw his arms over the back of the seat.

The first smack was harsh. Harsher than Tim intended it to be. The cracking of his hand echoed through the room, followed by a high pitched squeal from the recipient. He massaged his handprint and pressed a delicate kiss to the red mark.

He smacked over the same spot. Damian groaned a noise full of arousal and want. He presented his ass further out and peeked over his shoulder.

"So why am I spanking you?" Tim asked. He was far beyond committing to the act, he fully embraced his role and ran with it. He delivered a lightning fast smack to the other asscheek and giggled when Damian choked on his words.

"Because I was bad. Mr Drake." Damian whined, the mischief in his words cut through the arousal.

"What were you doing?" Tim questioned.

"Distracting you while you were working." Damian answered. He rolled his hips temptingly and bit his lip.

"Are you ever going to do it again?" Tim dragged a finger down his ass crack and teased the puckered hole presented to him.

"God yes. Of course I'll do it again." Damian breathed.

Tim pumped 4 fingers into Damian and spread them out. A deep guttural moan tore out of the submissive boy. He pushed back and made Tim's hand go deeper. "Fuck yourself on them." Tim commanded. Damian was more than happy to oblige. He rolled his hips and slid the digits into himself. Tim simply twisted his wrist while Damian did all the work. He was more than content with just stroking himself while his lover fell apart.

On the rare occasions where Damian fully submitted, Tim was treated like royalty. Where Damian enjoyed relinquishing control for his own pleasure. Tim enjoyed taking control and satisfying the natural control freak in him. He enjoyed allowing his risqué fantasies to run rampant. It was another facet of their sex life where they fit together like puzzle pieces.

He truly was a sight to behold. His hole barely had any resistance left. He was a sweaty, panting mess. His cock leaked pre cum onto the leather, forming a small pool on the seat below. He lost control of his face long ago, Tim got to enjoy the trail of drool and unfiltered expressions each time he looked over his shoulder.

"Why don't you put this on me?" Tim handed him a condom and smiled lovingly. 

Damian grinned and turned around. He unwrapped the foil with shaky hands and rolled it down Tim. 

Tim grabbed Damian's jaw and stooped to look him in the eye. In character he should be snarling or at the very least scowling, but Tim's face was undeniably tender and full of affection. 

"You remember the safe word?" 

"Yes." Damian replied quickly. 

"I love you."

Damian blinked a few times. His long eyelashes fluttered beautifully onto his cheeks. "I love you too Mr Drake."

Tim softened his hand and stroked tenderly over Damian's soft cheek. He glided his hand down to the man's back and maneuvered him back onto his knees. He held each shoulder as he plunged his rock hard length into the sloppy hole. He pulled on his shoulders and forced Damian's back to arch. His pubes were pressed hard against skin. He pulled back and rammed in again. The next time was faster but no less hard. He punished Damian's hole. His hands tightened around each shoulder until he could practically feel them bruising under his palms.

Damian whimpered with each push. A needy, lustful whine that he couldn't stiffle if he wanted to. A hard slap to his ass forced another long whimper out. The burning sensation rippled from the impact and flooded him with heat. It was all too much. He couldn't focus on one thing or everything as whole. He decided to just let go.

"More please." He cried out. His voice was pathetic and husky.

Tim slapped him again and pulled his shoulder more. The heat radiated again. Damian quickly found himself chasing the feeling. He decided that even a submissive man could make a command every once in a while. 

"More. Please." Damian said in a feeble, hushed voice.

Tim slapped him again and again until his handprint looked more like a blister. He was trying his best to prolong his own climax. Damian looked so beautiful to him. He felt so beautiful. The walls of his passage squeezed him despite the stretching beforehand. Tim was always going to be turned on by the sight of Damian's hole swallowing his dick. 

He pulled Damian's hair and contorted the man's body into a 'U' shape. He sped up his thrusts, pumping his length into Damian at an inhuman pace. As he tipped over the edge, his vision blacked for a moment. His nerves went dead; he felt nothing. Then as quickly as they died, they came back with a blast. He felt everything. Every muscle tightened. His eyes rolled back into his head. His face contorted in an expression of pure ecstasy. 

He filled the condom and kept awkwardly thrusting until he collapsed in exhaustion. He slumped in the seat next to Damian and shut his eyes to drag the pieces of himself back together.

Once he came round he saw Damian still kneeling there. He was panting and twitching. Tears of pain welled up in his eyes. Tim leaped up and laid the man down on the couch. Panic took over. 

"Dami are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Tim cradled his face and wiped the tear from his eye. 

"Of course." Damian stuttered between breaths. "I enjoyed it." He squeezed his eyes shut and failed to control his breathing. "Not giving up on the act yet." Damian swallowed. "You didn't say I could cum."

Tim rolled his eyes and chuckled. He should have known Damian wouldn't give the role play act up unless told specifically. His old acting teachers would be proud of his skills. 

"You want me to make you cum?" Tim asked sweetly. He eyed Damian's spasming cock and knew it would take seconds. 

"Yes please. This is gonna be transcendant." Damian groaned. 

Tim cupped his hand over the man's mouth and curled his hand around his pulsating cock. He's swiped his thumb over Damian's tip once. 

Damian howled. Tim's forced his hand down harder to muffle the noise. A steady stream of cum rocketed out of his dick and onto his branded chest. Shot after shot. He jerked and writhed on the leather and cried as he emptied himself of his long overdue climax. His entire body was on fire. The line of pain and pleasure was blurred into one overwhelming feeling of heat. 

When the noise and the shudders calmed, Tim removed his hand and wiped the tears away. 

"Have I been punished to your satisfaction?" Damian croaked. 

Tim laughed loudly and nuzzled the boy's neck. "You were a good boy in the end if that's what you were asking. I spanked the bad behaviour out of you." Damian snorted and patted Tim's head.

"I have never felt such pleasure in my life. The pain made it better. We have a safe word, I did not use it. Admittedly I could not do this every time but my goodness Tim. You are a stallion." Damian chuckled hoarsely and sat up slowly. 

"Let me go to the bathroom and get some stuff to clean you up." Tim pulled the condom off and waddled away to the door across the room. He returned shortly after having cleaned himself up in there. He placed a pack of baby wipes, a damp flannel, a towel and other pieces on the couch. He brought the small bin over and got to work. 

After pretty much beating an orgasm out of Damian, he took extra care with his fiancé. He wiped him delicately. Cleaning the lube from his opening and the cum from his chest and deflated cock. The sharpie didn't come off but Damian was fine wearing it for the rest of the day. He used the towel to dry any sweat off Damian and helped him to redress and be presentable again. 

"You're the best Timothy. Thank you for indulging my needs." Damian said as he draped his jacket over his arm. He was limping and felt like he'd been hit by a truck. Nothing an energy drink couldn't handle. 

Tim, who was still naked, laughed and bent down to pick up his own clothes. "I'm gonna be your husband. Isn't that what we do for eachother in a relationship? Meet each other's needs."

"Yes but not everyone's fiancé flip flops between a take charge man and a needy submissive man that needs a spank." Damian caressed Tim's hips and helped him to thread the belt through the loops.

"Hey I like it too! " He exclaimed. "Your fiancé is a control freak who enjoys dominating you. Remember that time with the inflatable butt plug? I was dark that day, making you inflate it yourself while bound up then replacing it with my hand? I was sure you'd use the safe word."

Damian remembered the night fondly. Tim told him what to say, what to do, when to inflate, ect. He was truly at Tim's mercy. It was incidentally the first time Tim fit his entire hand in him. They had never ventured that far again, but it was unforgetable to Damian no matter how scared they were afterwards when they realised what actually happened. The day he spent in bed the next day was also unforgettable, he could not move further than the bathroom. A combination of aches and exhaustion. Tim covered and said it was a stomach ache, it was only a partial lie.

"Anyway Dami" Tim continued. "You always need a spank. You're way too big for your little bat boots."

The younger man kissed Tim's neck lovingly and wrapped his strong arms around him in an iron ring. A knock on the door ripped them from their moment. Tim called out for them to wait one minute while he buttoned up his shirt and put the bin back in place. After checking there was no evidence of their deeds around he opened the door and smiled at Lucas.

"I've got papers you need to sign. Urgent. I didn't wanna come right in because Damian's here." He waved awkwardly to Damian and adjusted his glasses.

"I'm just leaving." Damian called. He kissed Tim on the cheek and slid past Lucas. "See you after work. Mr Drake."

He lingered long enough to see Tim flush red. He walked back to the lift with the same smile he walked in with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucas is a real hero. Nuff said.
> 
> Other smut chapters won't be this wordy and expositional. But I don't want them to be completely without plot either. I want to find a balance.


	60. I Like The Way It Sounds

Damian sat in the car waiting anxiously for Tim to finish the meeting that had run longer than expected. Friday was his half day. Tim, being the literal boss of the largest branch of Wayne Enterprises, also decided he needs short Fridays too. Tim worked hard, he never slacked, he was good at his job. That was Tim's flimsy reasoning behind it, but none of it was a lie.

He clicked his tongue and pulled out his phone. He shot a text to Bruce to make sure his plan was in order. Bruce texted him back within seconds, meaning he was busy working at his desk. 

> **Contact: Father 👴**
> 
> Are you sure the paperwork went through?
> 
> Was there no issues with the lawyers?
> 
> Yes Damian. It's all finalised and ready to go.
> 
> I can't tell you how Tim will feel about it, but if he likes it then you're going to be in his good books for life. 
> 
> I hope it goes well for you. 

  
  


Damian pocketed the phone quickly when he clocked Tim in the rear view mirror. Tim jumped in and loosened his tie. 

"Fuck me. Is it bedtime yet?" He huffed. He sloppily kissed Damian's cheek as they pulled out into the street. 

"No, my love. I'll also remind you that you volunteered to take my patrol tonight so you could catch up with Stephanie and go for food afterwards." Damian informed him. 

Tim placed his head in his hands and groaned. He smiled an obviously fake and plastic smile when he rose. "I'll have dinner then have a nap. Just an hour, I've got to clean my bike before I go out."

"Make it two hours and I'll clean your bike." Damian rubbed Tim's thigh and squeezed. He would usually call Tim a 'lazy bastard' and tell him to get on with such things. Much like Tim would do to him. But today he needed to soften Tim up, so he was in a good mood for his surprise.

Tim turned up the radio and mumble-sang along to the sounds of Paramore and other similar music artists and bands from his childhood. 

The stars were aligning for Damian. Tim was already feeling nostalgic from the music, his surprise might just work. 

They crossed the bridge into Gotham Heights and drove the winding roads up towards home. Tim turned the radio down and stared out the window when Wayne Manor passed them by and they continued driving down the road.

"Uhh Dami? Home is that way." Tim pointed towards the Manor which was quickly becoming smaller and smaller in the distance behind them. 

"Maybe." Damian started with a shrug. "Or perhaps home is right here." He turned the car into an old but familiar drive way.

Tim froze and went still. An odd feeling seized control of his entire body, locking him into the seat. His eyes were fixed on the house in front of him. He couldn't figure out how he felt. Was he surprised? Overwhelmed? Was this fear he was feeling? 

He didn't even realise the car had stopped. Damian pulled his hand gently and pulled him out of the car. He was shaking. His legs felt like they were bending like rubber. Tim walked up the cracked pavement but didn't dare get close to the door. He looked up and felt a whole different set of emotions. He glanced right and instantly knew what was missing. 

Tim waded through the overgrown blades of grass and touched the stump nestled in the miniature jungle. 

"I liked this tree." Tim said in a small and feeble voice. 

"I've only ever seen this place from a distance." Damian confessed. "Whenever I took a walk at the edge of the grounds I'd see it. Dick informed me exactly what this house was to you." 

"Why are we here?" Tim croaked. 

"The people who owned this place until recently haven't lived here since 2012. They were apprehensive about selling it to me, but a quick sale and 5 million over their price secured it." Damian leaned on the front of the car and put his hands in his pockets. "Drake Manor belongs to a Drake again."

"But why?" 

"Because after we're married I want to move out of the Manor. I couldn't think of any place better. This house is yours Timothy. It's ours, Father handled the legal stuff and confirmed it. This house is now owned by Damian Wayne and Timothy Jackson Drake. I even have a key."

"I don't know what to say." Tim settled in next to Damian and held his hand. "I don't know how I feel."

"If you don't like it then I'll sell it again. I did gamble in the hopes you'd be up for it." Damian looked down, disheartened. 

"Don't mope." Tim punched his arm. "I still don't know but I could at least show you around." Tim gulped as he stepped under the round porch. He nearly dropped the key three times with his shakes.

"You don't have to do this Timothy." Damian placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and squeezed his tightly.

Tim clenched his jaw and pushed the key in. "I'm fine. It's just I've never been back here since we sold it, there's a lot of memories." he turned the key and pushed the door open. Relief flooded him as soon as he stepped in.

Even in its derelict state, Damian appreciated the charm this old house had. The stairway right in front of them led up to a landing overlooking the entire entrance hall. Like Wayne Manor, the entrance hall branched off into two separate areas of the house.

Tim gazed around with childish wonder. He accepted the place had been changed by new owners, but his mind replaced the current state with what he remembered. He could practically hear Mrs Mac cursing when she had to clean up his muddy footprints at the door. The ones left there when he came in late at night from chasing Batman and Robin.

He peered down the left of the house and saw the open living space. His Dad and Dana held a few parties here once his Dad was feeling less depressed. It was all business and Tim remembered being forced to sit, nod and answer polite questions on his schooling and months late condolences about his biological mother. 

Damian preferred watching Tim as they walked through the house. Every emotion Tim felt was etched onto his face for Damian to experience second hand.

Tim laughed when he opened the door to his room. For reasons he didn't know, he found it hilarious to be feeling so giddy and sad at the same time.

"This was your room then Timothy?" Damian spoke the first words since coming inside.

"Yeah." Tim did his trick with the window and opened it despite the lock. "Haha, still works. That's how I'd come in late at night."

"Can you remember what it used to look like? When you were living here I mean." Damian asked.

Tim chuckled. "I can remember everything." He pointed to the wall next to the window. "The bed was here. I had poster's on the wall. I had a cabinet on each side of the bed, this side was my phone, the other side was my cd player."

Tim plopped down on the floor and pulled Damian to sit with him where the bed used to be. He pointed out little things. Like the trick with the window, where he used to watch TV. The secret compartment he built in the top of the wardrobe. When Damian got up to open it, it still had a set of decaying tights tucked into the back.

It fascinated Damian to hear about all Tim's stories. He'd read Tim's Robin War Journals but he never wrote about such tiny details.

They decided to look around the rest of the house. Tim led him down to the spare room and told a story of him sleeping there when Ariana stayed the night. He very quickly clarified that nothing sexual happened. Tim stopped at the doorway opposite his old bedroom and sucked in a breath. "You have to, Tim." He whispered to himself. He held Damian's hand and led him into what was obviously the master bedroom.

"It's bigger than I remember." Tim remarked. "Dana used to love her 4 poster bed so I suppose it made the room look smaller."

"It's a lovely layout. Walk in wardrobe aaand-" Damian poked his head round the door. "A rather huge en-suite. My lord, that is a massive bathtub. You could 4 people in that."

"Dad had expensive taste." Tim kicked the floor lightly and huffed.

"Is it weird being here. After your experiences with your parents?" Damian asked as he was led down stairs into the main living room.

"No. Kinda. I can't really say I feel their memory here because they were never here. I was either at boarding schools or tutored. We had so many different homes I didn't know where we were staying when they finally came home. They didn't come back for months on end. Mrs Mac was here for me more than they were." Tim gripped the door harder and more aggressively then he wanted to let on. "Dad only wanted to work on our relationship after he was crippled, even then he was a shitty dad half the time. By his own admission too."

"I'm sorry you had to have that as a childhood." Damian snaked his arms around Tim and kissed his cheek.

"Doesn't hold a candle to yours, does it?" Tim let out a hollow laugh. "I still love my parents, so much, Dad tried his best. His best was mediocre but he was still my dad. He really tried and that's what counts. He did love me. I still cry when I have dreams about him. I still think of Dana when I'm in Blüdhaven. This house is just where I lived once, it wasn't a home." Tim allowed the tears to roll down his face. They were empty and meaningless, he wasn't sad but they flowed nonetheless.

He hadn't spoken about his parents at this length for years.

"We don't have to move here." Damian whispered. "I'll live anywhere as long as it's with you."

"No." Tim said louder than he intended to. He sniffed and turned around in Damian's grip. "No, I want to live here. Let's make this our home. Me, you and maybe kids one day."

"Are you sure?" Damian hugged him tighter and pressed their foreheads together.

"Yes. Yes. We can make memories here together, good ones. We might have to change it to a different name. Drake Manor won't be so applicable once we're married." Tim laughed.

"Actually..." Damian pulled away and scratched his shoulder. "I thought about it and I want to take your name. No hyphens just Drake. If you're okay with that?"

Tim gawped and searched for words. He thought a lot about their wedding and what was going to change afterwards, he didn't even entertain the idea of Damian taking his name. "I'm, uhh, flattered. I'd love you too of course." He stuttered. "But have you asked B about this?"

"No. I plan to do so when we go back to the Manor." Damian grinned and shook his head. "The other Manor."

"Well I can't wait to start my new life with you. Here. We can have dinner parties and have fuck in every room." Tim leaped into Damian's arms and scattered little kisses over his neck. "Argue about furniture, or how much room you take up in the wardrobe."

"Yes Timothy. I cannot wait." Damian put Tim down and walked out with him. He got the honour of locking their door behind him.

"I can't wait for us to get married and start the next chapter of our lives. Damian Drake." Tim said pondering the name. He raised his eyebrows and hummed cheerily. "I like the way it sounds."

Damian's heart swelled. He'd said it over and over in his head. He practiced a new signature on a scrap of paper. He faked introducing himself with his new name. It all sounded great, it sounded right. But the way Tim said it, they way it rolled off his tongue in his sweet giddy voice. Damian could burst from love. He knew he'd never tire of hearing it.

"Yes. I like it too."

* * *

Damian found Bruce underneath the Batmobile. He was grunting and swearing to himself as he worked. Damian kicked his leg and made some noise to announce his presence and waited patiently for Bruce to acknowledge him. He waited for a minute. 2 minutes. 5 minutes. Still no answer. 

"Father can I speak to you." Damian asked. His politeness was teetering on a knife edge. He was used to Bruce ignoring him, but at least other times he waved him off or gave an excuse. 

"You can." Bruce mumbled. He stayed put. 

"No Father, I really need to speak to you. Face to face." Damian urged. 

Bruce sighed and slid out from under the car. He wiped his greasy hand on his scarred abdomen and sat on the railing. "How'd it go with Tim?" 

"Good." Damian shuffled over and sat next to his father. "Really good. He was emotional but we decided to move in. He wants to fill it with better memories than he has from his childhood." 

"Jack and Janet weren't the best parents. Neither am I but-" He shrugged and sipped his water. "They could never stay in one place too long, and Tim was an afterthought." Bruce grimaced, a sad expression showed beneath his stern mask. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"No I uhh, have something awkward to bring up and it may anger you. Please don't be mad." Damian twisted his fingers together and looked down at his ring. "I would like to take Timothy's second name." The words rushed out of him, bringing a spotlight onto his nerves. 

"Okay." Bruce's body relaxed and lost its stiffness. His guard could come down. "Why would I be angry?" 

Damian stuttered and waved his hand. "B-because I'm your son. Is it not traditional for me to pass the Wayne name on? Cassandra has the name but hasn't shown any interest in a relationship for all the time I've known her. The Wayne name pretty much ends with you, I'm giving it up. I thought you'd be disappointed."

"The name is superficial, son. I don't care that I'm the last Wayne. I'll be leaving behind a far richer legacy. Wayne means a lot to Gotham, but soon Drake will too, so will Thomas, Brown and Todd." Bruce hugged Damian onto his shoulder and ruffled his hair. "The name Grayson is already loved in Blüdhaven. The city has faith in its commissioner. Cassie will carve out her legacy when she goes to Hong Kong. Gordon is already a name synonymous with Gotham."

"Thank you for being okay with it." Damian whispered as he huddled in tighter. He concluded long ago that he'd never avoid any physical contact with his father. He'd missed it so much in his early years. He loved being held and made to feel secure, reassured and safe. He might've looked like a child, curled up in his father's side, but he didn't care. He'd take being babied in moments of vulnerability and love, over Talia's twisted displays of care. Bruce knew, like a fatherly instinct, he knew that Damian needed a clear and tactile confirmation of love. 

"Like I told you all before, you're all my strength. I love you all. Anyway, you don't have to worry." Bruce rubbed Damian's shoulder and kissed his hair. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

* * *

"Good afternoon Mr McGinnis." Damian greeted him. "You look happy."

Terry bounced through the office and hugged Damian's shoulders. He shook the man hard and cheered. Without giving him an explanation, Terry swiped a Zesti from the fridge and sat across from Damian. The grin he wore was infectious, Damian felt his face tug. 

"Okay come on. Why are you so pumped?" Damian set aside his work and leaned over the desk. 

"The tryouts for the wrestling team were today." He held his hands up. "I'm in!" 

Damian held up his coffee in congratulations and nodded. "Well done Terry."

"You should have seen me Damian." Terry leaped up and gave a demonstration. "I was the best freshman there. We had to try out against the sophomore guys and I was probably better than them too. I wiped the smile off the resident bully's face. He didn't stand a chance."

"I'm proud of you. That's one goal you've already achieved."

Damian's expression of pride brought a blush onto Terry's face. "Thanks man. The costume is something else though. I had the sense to wear a cup. Some guys were not ashamed at all." Terry giggled and pulled a face. 

"I used to watch the boys on the ice hockey team. I made out with a boy called Chester after one game. He told all his friends that I came onto him and he turned me away. One punch to his balls later and he was admitting it." Damian chuckled. "Don't do that, I was a troubled child. The moral of the story is wear a cup, not for your modesty but for your protection." 

Terry held up his hand mockingly like a scout. "I promise I won't make out with anyone, deny it then get hit in the balls. And to keep wearing a cup not to protect my modesty" He scoffed a laugh. "But for my protection." 

They laughed for a while. Terry caught him up on all his school adventures and studies. Wildly gesturing while he explained a story or exaggerating details. He eventually got bored and led the conversation back to Damian, first asking the simple question of how he was. 

"I'm fantastic. Last Friday me and Timothy bought a house. It needs a lot of work but we're moving in after the wedding." Damian informed him. 

"Schway! Is it like a penthouse in the city or a posh farm still up in Gotham Heights?" 

"It is next door to the Manor. And we don't have farms in Gotham Heights. Wayne Manor did have a stable... And a cow." Damian stated. 

Terry snorted and chuckled. "Way to go for independence." 

Damian frowned. "It's sentimental. It's Timothy's childhood home. One of many. It's not far from our current home. About a mile between the actual houses but the grounds have a hedged border." Damian searched for the words. "We're a, uhh, close family. If we weren't then we would've moved out years ago."

Terry held his hands up.

Damian smirked. "When the house is close to completion, I'll pay you to come over and paint it. You can earn some pocket money."

"$300 an hour." Terry demanded. 

"$10" Damian countered. 

"$250"

"$25" Damian held firm. 

"$175" Terry pleaded. "Stop being a tight ass. You're rich."

"$40 an hour and I'll sneak you half a can of beer as a reward." Terry took Damian's hand and agreed to the offer. 

"You're a bad influence." Terry chuckled. "What if I get wasted on that little half a can?"

"Your father said I was a good influence. I never claimed to be. And if you get wasted then I'll say you stole it then take away your money. Then I'll bully you and call you a lightweight for the rest of your life." Damian ruffled Terry's hair and smiled sarcastically. 

"You really are an ass." Terry tutted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce 👏🏻Wayne 👏🏻 Is👏🏻 A 👏🏻Good👏🏻 Dad 👏🏻
> 
> The next chapter may take a while. Its either going to be one extra length chapter. Or I'll break it up into 3 or 4.


	61. Death of a Friend

Jason sipped his beer and looked out onto the city. His foot splashed the water that had gathered on the balcony, in time with the music he could hear from downstairs. He let Suzie and her sisters open up today, he wanted to relax and take it easy tonight.

The air was cool and damp from the rain earlier. Gotham was given a rare break from it's usual onslaught of wetness and thunder. Jason took a deep breath of the air and instantly felt better. 

A van turned into the road leading out to man made island. It piqued Jay's interest, not many vans came through this way halfway through the night. Jay's eyes went wide when a dozen Jokerz jumped out. Armed with submachine guns and blunt weapons of every kind. 

With superhuman speed he donned his uniform and grabbed the first weapons he could grab. He dived off the balcony and landed in front of the group. "Suzie, lock down the club." He said through his radio. "We've got a clown problem."

The Jokerz didn't wait, they began firing aimlessly in his direction, peppering the windows with shots. He dodged and weaved his way through the fire. He needed to get in close. He wrenched a gun from the first terrified assailant and bludgeoned his face with the stock. He mutilated one Jokerz' legs with a spray of shots and used him as a human shield. He threw the bleeding man into the others and battered them with his fists. Each clown lay bleeding out or unconscious on the ground. 

One tried to crawl away, Jason brought his boot down onto his hand and smiled sadistically as the clown screamed for his life. 

"Why are you here?" Red Hood growled. 

"We. We were given targets." The clown mumbled. He was on the edge of consciousness. 

"What are the others." Jason shook him awake. Sirens blared in the distance. 

"GCPD, Tricorner, safe houses. W-Wayne Manor." The clown passed out and slumped onto the ground. 

Jason shook with fear. As he raced to the tunnels under the Lounge he pulled out his phone and texted Damian. 'Protect the house'

"I'm coming Damian. All you have to do is wake up." Jason said to himself. 

* * *

Damian roused from his sleep and kissed Tim's snoring cheek. He was particularly exhausted, Tim had kept him up much later than he expected. He snuggled into Tim's warm skin and tired to ease himself off to sleep again. Just as he began to dream of picnics and lazy summer evenings with Tim in their new garden, an obnoxious loud ping of his phone tore him from his bliss. 

He squinted at the text from Jason and tried to make sense of it. It was in the emergency line, he must've been serious. 

He got up and stretched. He peeked out the window and saw nothing. He looked through the security footage and alerts and felt his blood chill. 'Cave entrance integrity at 52%'

He shook Tim awake. Violently and urgently. "Timothy. We have an invasion. Wake father up, his medication makes him sleep too long." 

Tim was up immediately. Fumbling in the dark for clothes. Damian left clothes out the equation, he raced from the door with nothing but his escrima stick. The sound of laughter and smashing echoed through the halls. Damian pounced on the Jokerz goon coming up the stairs. He landed two footed on the man and used his weight to slam the man into the wall. He sneaked up to the living room and jammed the electrified end of the stick into a clown's neck. He spasmed and fell unconscious with Damian still holding his mouth closed. 

Damian raced into the living room and faced down the pair of Jokerz. They came at him wildly, swinging their machetes and slashing the air with their knives. He dodged and wrenched the machete from the man's grasp. He plunged it into his foot, attaching the clown to the floor. 

Damian didn't feel the knife go in, the first inkling he got was when his shoulder wouldn't bend properly. He connected the second clown's head with his knee and pulled the knife from his back. Shots whizzed past his head. He ducked behind the couch and curled up and the goon emptied a clip in his direction. 

Titus bounded past him and lunged at the gunman. His jaw locked around his arm and pulled the gunman away from the door and closer to Damian. Seeing his chance he flipped over the couch and kicked the man in the nose. Blood sprayed over Damian's foot as the man collapsed to the ground. 

Another shot rang in Damian's ears. He flinched and waited for the hole in himself to start pouring blood. The blood never came. The second gunman was frantically reloading his gun, Damian flung a cat ornament at his head and knocked him unconscious. 

A whine rose from the floor. Damian looked down and realised he was standing in blood. "No Titus. No." Damian bent down and tried to staunch the blood, pumping from a hole in Titus' side. "No come on boy." Damian whimpered. "Come on."

Titus whined and looked up at him, the light in his eyes was dim. His paw creeped up and rested on Damian's arm. "Please. It'll be okay." Damian cried. "Someone help! Please!" 

He heard the footsteps behind him. He spun and kicked but was too late, the bat ricocheted off his head and beat him to the floor. His vision swam and blackness started to close in. He reached out with the last of his energy and cradled Titus' head. 

* * *

"Come on." Jason mumbled to himself. He pushed his foot down and weaved through traffic. He could see the Manor up on the hill, it was creeping closer and closer as he swung the car round the bends of Gotham Heights.

He opened the gates remotely and dived out of the car once he was at the gravel driveway. He ran through the open door and slammed his fist through a wooden panel. He found a pair of Berettas and flicked the safety off. "Thanks Alfred."

"Someone help! Please!" Damian called from the living room. Jason could hear the tears and pain strangling his voice. 

He was too late. Damian was laying naked on the ground in a pool of blood. Jason emptied a clip into the clown. It took every ounce of self control to not kill him, each bullet landed on a non lethal area. 

"Oh no." Jason collapsed and held his face. Titus chest heaved up and down slowly. "Shhh. It's okay." He stroked the dog's head gently as he took his last breaths. He blanked out Tim fighting what seemed to be one last assailant, he focused on making Titus comfortable.

"Damian! Jay?" Thank god your h-" Tim stopped in his tracks and gasped. He knelt next to Jason and collected Damian in his arms. "Jay, can we get them into the cave please?" 

Jason turned the hands of the clock and pushed the broken clock to the side. He wiped tears away before he laid Titus across his arms and followed Tim down into the cavern. 

* * *

Damian woke with a startle and bolted upright. Bruce's hand on his chest pushed him back down onto the bed. "You couldn't save him could you?" Damian squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the answer he dreaded.

Bruce held his son's hand tightly. "He wasn't alone. Jay saved you from the last one." 

Damian crumbled. The last piece of control he had on his emotions blinked away. The tears wouldn't stop coming. He melted into Bruce's shoulder and soaked his t shirt. He clung to the material helplessly. That was the only thing he felt: helpless.

"I must see him." Damian yanked the wires off his body and pounded over to the other side of the medbay. He could see his friend under the white sheet. Suddenly he felt 10 years old again, like a child. How could he live on without him? "Leave me alone." He whispered. 

"Damian you don't have to do this now." Bruce pleaded. 

"I said. LEAVE ME ALONE!" Damian boomed. Bruce nodded and shuffled away. 

He lifted the sheet and shuddered. They had cleaned Titus up and stitched together his wound. Damian was grateful. He stroked the cold fur of Titus' back. "You were meant to move in with me and Timothy. You were meant to be at my wedding. Even after prolonging your life with lazarus serum, I wasn't ready to lose you." Damian kissed the dogs head and tickled behind his ears. It wasn't the same when he could give no reaction. "You were my most loyal friend. You were the best partner I could have asked for. You died protecting me and I failed you Titus. I won't fail again."

He replaced the cloth and forced his tears back. Damian patted Titus one last time. "Justice. You will have justice Titus. Even if I actually need to solicit God's for you." 

* * *

"Mom." Terry hugged his mom and squeezed her tight.

"It's only been two weeks." Mary held his shoulders and smiled warmly. "And you still look taller." She ruffled Terry's hair and made him squirm with embarrassment. 

"Mom" He whined. 

"Shut it. Have you been behaving?" Mary asked with a stern look. After Terry left juvy, questions of his behaviour were never too far away whenever he visited. 

"Yeah mom. All my homework is done. Proper practice for the team starts next week." Terry draped his suit bag over the corner of the couch. "I'm doing really well."

"I'm proud of you Terry. And you're going to look so handsome today." She ushered him towards the bathroom with his suit to get ready. "How about you talk your friend into donating some money to the company. I cannot believe out of everyone in the world you make friends with Damian Wayne."

Terry rolled his eyes and chuckled. He pulled on his perfectly pressed trousers and slid a belt through the loops. "He's more than a friend, mom. He's like a mentor, he's like my best friend. He's such a great guy, you'd love him." 

"You sound like you're crushing on him Terry." Mary teased, shooting him a look through the crack in the door. 

Terry cringed. "Ew no. He's like a really cool uncle. Imagine the world's best role model. He's got his head in the right place, great family, he's successful, he's in a happy relationship. The cool jobs, cool cars. He's got everything mom, I want to be like that one day." 

Her hand poked through the door. "Here's that tie. I think you should wear a black one though, red stands out too much against the black shirt and jacket."

Terry looped the tie and fastened it in a Windsor knot. "It needs some colour. This isn't extremely formal stuff. It's like a company mingling. We get to look at the plans, schmooze old guys and eat fancy food. It's a weird party, more like a fair. Everyone's gonna be there. That's why Matt shouldn't be there."

Mary frowned and steeled her voice. "He's growing up and wanted to spend time with you and your dad together. It'll be good for him to see some of the adult world. He's 8 Terry, not a baby. Your dad is bringing him home after the speeches anyway."

"Ugh. I don't want him to embarrass us when he gets bored. This isn't for 8 year olds." Terry moaned. 

"Terrance McGinnis this is a celebration of the neighbourhood and the future of Gotham. There will be other kids there. I'd bet money on it." Mary scolded. "Now come say hi to your brother." Terry trudged out of the bathroom and rolled his eyes when Matt stood before him in a tiny suit. He scowled at Terry and stuck his tongue out when their mom wasn't looking. "Well give each other a hug, you haven't seen each other in two weeks." 

Terry begrudgingly bent down to hug Matt. They both kept it as brief as they could while still satisfying their mom. Terry didn't hate Matt and Matt didn't hate him. But after their parent's divorce and the split custody, they just grew apart, they'd see each other for a few hours each Saturday before going back to their own lives. Matt made it difficult for Terry to like him. He'd constantly snitch on him for bruises, or for texting someone he maybe shouldn't have been. Small things that added up and fuel his mom's distrust. 

Warren thankfully knocked at the door, saving the pair from any more contact. 

"Poo head." Matt insulted him childishly. 

"Shut it twip." Terry smacked the back of his head lightly. "When you say things like that you just prove my point that you should come."

"Are you boys ready?" Warren asked, cradling Matt's face as he did. 

* * *

"You shouldn't be here Damian." Tim growled. They fake smiled at the other directors as they filtered into the plaza outside Wayne Tower. 

"I have a job, Drake. I won't neglect it because I've lost someone close to me. That's an occupational hazard in our line of work." Damian spat. He shuffled his queue cards and swallowed painfully. His throat was scratchy and dry from crying over and over. 

"Stop. Now." Tim warned. "Don't you dare start cutting me off. I'm hurting too. But I know what he meant to you specifically so I expected you not to come in. Don't take this out on me, I won't have it." Tim was harsher than he meant to be, but if anything would get Damian to stop putting on a front, it would be some tough love. 

"I promise I'm not taking it out on you Tim. I love you and I'm thankful for what you've done to accommodate me today. But I promise you that I need to do this. I've been working on this project for months Tim. It has to be me, no matter what state I'm in." Damian held his hand and squeezed hard. He spotted and eager child and mopey teenager in the growing crowd. "There's Terry, I should say hi."

Damian went to leave but was tugged back by Tim. "Promise me you'll be okay?" 

Damian made a kiss with his lips and smiled sadly. "I promise." 

Damian weaved through the crowd and braced Terry's shoulders making him jump out of his skin. "Glad you came Terry. You look very smart. It's good to see you wearing anything but that old leather jacket."

"Thanks. I'm a demon with an iron." He brushed his suit and pulled a theatrical, charming face. 

"And who is this cute little guy." Damian bent down and peeked behind Warren's leg where Matt was hiding. "Come on I don't bite on Saturdays. Only on Mondays, your dad has seen me at work."

Matt giggled and shuffled out from behind Warren's leg. "Damian, this is my youngest son Matthew." Warren informed him. Damian held his hand out, Matt placed his little hand in Damian's and shook it hard. 

"Pleased to meet you, young man." Damian straightened the boy's tie and adjusted his lapels. 

"Terry take Matt and get a drink. Why don't you get Matt to talk with the other kids, they look about his age." Warren pointed them away and hugged Damian's shoulder. "I read the news earlier. Are you okay? Who was at the house?" 

"Just me Timothy and my father. My brother and sister were out. And my mother is in Blüdhaven." Damian grimaced. "Those self defence classes paid off though." He laughed plastically and forced his face into a smile. "I'd better get up there, it'll be starting soon. You children are fantastic Warren. You should be very proud of them."

"I am Damian. Every minute since they were born I've been proud of them." Warren's eyes crinkled as he smiled. 

* * *

"I hate to start today off on a dark note." Damian started, he adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat. "But it's best that I address the news now. Last night, my home was invaded by Jokerz. As many other places around Gotham were. If it weren't for my self defense classes and their gross incompetence I would most likely be dead. We all would be. While the night wasn't without casualty, I'm grateful that it wasn't worse."

Damian's face darkened. _No turning back now._ He thought. He pushed back tears that threatened to tumble out at the very thought of Titus and carried on. 

"I have a message for those who instigated the attacks over the city. I am not scared of you. Gotham is not scared of you. Gothamites standing together are stronger than any one man standing alone." 

Nods of approval were followed by a thundering applause. Damian smiled stiffly and squared his shoulders. The applause wavered and allowed him to continue. 

"In the spirit of bringing Gotham together, we have worked a plan with the city to usher in a new era. For too long have we been dubbed a black spot on America's flag. For too long have the residents of New York and Metropolis looked down on us with false superiority." Damian stated bravely. He knew his speech would ruffle some feathers. 

The cloth covering the new city model was pulled back, revealing a transformed Gotham. 

"This is the biggest ever investment in Wayne Enterprises history. We plan to make Gotham the most technologically advanced city in the entire country. The new innovative sky bridges will be pavements in the sky. The new direct rail links to Blüdhaven will allow our two cities to form new enterprises. Massive renovations for City Hall, GCPD, Wayne Tower and other landmark buildings will bring in a new age. The entire city will be powered with cleaner energy, developed right here with a team I've loved working with." Damian beamed at the crowd. 

"Gotham isn't our city, Gotham isn't what people think of us, Gotham is the people. And the new city we're building will let us be closer and strengthen those community bonds. Each business and body that has contributed, has gathered here in the plaza to give you a taste of the new Gotham. Technological advances, neighbourhood regeneration, better education and grassroots investment. There is not a single city in the world that has had this much aggressive and direct investment. Let's put Gotham on the map." 

Damian bowed out and motioned for the people to mingle. He sat on the step down from the stage and rested his head in his hands. Faking being okay for that long, under the scrutiny of cameras and expectant faces was exhausting. 

He noticed a wire on the ground. It wasn't thick enough to be a power cable. He picked up the thin twisted wire and followed it to its destination. He picked up the slack and traced it to the front of the stage. He followed it with his eyes across the ground and under the table on the new Gotham model. 

He opened his mouth to speak but was too late. He was thrown clear of the blast and landed hard on the concrete of the plaza. He couldn't tell whether it was the sun or his own consciousness fading that made the bright light blare before his eyes. 

He came round to the screaming. So many voices calling for help. Cries of pain and loss. The smell of explosives and burning hung heavy in the air. Damian felt a hand shaking his face. He swatted it away and sat up. 

"Dami." Tim urged. "You need to get upstairs to the suit. Jokerz just raided the building. 30-40 of them. I'll do my best to keep the cameras away. Just go." Tim kissed him hard and shoved him away.

Damian bolted up and ran for the door of the tower. He could hear gunfire and screams downstairs. It pained him to leave it, but to handle that many Jokerz he needed the suit. He needed to go up not down. 

* * *

Terry couldn't shake the ringing in his ears. Everything else was muffled. The last thing he remembered was walking over to look at the model. His brain went into overdrive, he groaned as he sat up and witnessed the destruction. He stumbled up and walked through the crowd of crying visitors. 

He emptied his stomach at the sight of a man burning alive. His legs were gone, his torso separated completely and mangled in an unnatural position. 

"Dad" Terry said feebly. He looked around and couldn't see anything but death and pain. "Matt!" 

He caught sight of a pair. Charred and mangled near the stage, a small body locked into a large one. 

"Please no!" Terry screamed and ran over to the pair. He tumbled over some bodies, he crawled along the scorched ground. Their suits said it all. He'd seen Matt's little blue trousers and jacket and scoffed at how he looked like an old man earlier that day. The jacket was more black than anything now. He turned the child's head to the unscorched side and wailed. 

"Matt!" Terry cried and sobbed into the blackened body of his brother. He touched Warren's chest and tried to shake him alive. "Please Dad. Come back. Come back!" 

He felt empty. He had no one to go to. He couldn't bear to be near their bodies anymore or he'd never let go. He looked around for anyone. Anyone who could help. Anyone who he could count on. He picked Damian entering the building and forced his legs to work. "I'll come back Dad. I promise."

He ran to the building with shaky legs. His lungs burned with ash and smoke but he had to carry on. He couldn't use the lift, he still had that much common sense in his distraught state. He ran up each step, he couldn't stop. He raced up the 47 floors without even slowing. 

_Damian can help me._ Terry chanted like a mantra in his mind. _He's all I've got right now._

He ran through the deserted office and burst through Damian's door. The searing pain caught up with him and he collapsed onto the ground. 

"Dami-an" He choked out. 

Damian stepped out of the hidden toilet. In a full batsuit. His cowl was pulled down. He ran to Terry and pulled him into his arms. 

"You're. Batman?" Terry hiccuped.

"Catch your breath Terry." Damian stood him up and counted with him. "You shouldn't be up here. The building has been locked. There's no way out."

"They're dead." Terry sobbed. "Matt and dad. They're gone."

Damian pulled Terry into a tight embrace and let the boy sob on his cape. He closed his eyes, frustrated that he was too late. Angry that he couldn't save them. Sad because Warren was a good friend and Matt was a beautiful young boy that he only just had the pleasure of meeting. 

"I have to go Terry." Damian wrenched himself away. "You stay right here okay. You don't move for anyone. Don't make a noise." He wiped a tear from Terry's eye. "I'll come back for you."

He left the broken boy. As much as he didn't want to, he had a responsibility. Batman tore open the lift shaft and dropped down.

* * *

"Is your team ready?" Punchline stormed over the walkway as she spoke.

"We're all ready. Just waiting on you." Her minion said over the line. 

"Good. I'm just about finished hacking the main computer at Wayne Enterprises." She flipped the phone into her pocket and booted her victim in the back. Lucius fell to the ground and cried. His face was burning, a smile pulled onto his face that never went away. "So what does he call this place? He has a name for every other thing he owns. Bat plane. Bat suit. Bat bath most likely." 

Lucius screamed. He was desperate to keep his mouth shut. 

Punchline leaned on his back and rubbed his shoulders in a deceptively tender motion. "Don't struggle. Let the toxin do its work. Tell me what he calls it."

"T-the Hibernaculum." Lucius whimpered. 

"Eww. Where bats breed?" Punchline cringed theatrically. "Disgusting! But all sorts of bats have been bred here. Even with Batman Incorporated defunct for years, there's a lot of toys. Some newer than everyone knows." She bent over Lucius' shoulder and smiled. "But you never stopped making those toys did you? You've given us the perfect present."

* * *

Damian opened his emergency hatch at the bottom of the lift shaft and flipped into his cave.

"Computer give me eyes in the building. I want to know what they-" Damian was pushed over. A knife slashing his neck.

"Sorry was this supposed to be a secret hideout?" Punchline slashed again with her knife. Damian flipped away, but his head was swimming. He felt off balance, his equilibrium had been tipped.

"Look at that. So hopeful. So fresh. The colour in the cape and cowl isn't Dark Knight at all." She pointed her knife behind him. He looked round slowly, unable to move quicker than a dragging pace. He knew immediately it was one of Alfred's designs. The Batsuit was adorned with blue metallic armour, and a glowing symbol. He growled and turned back to this jester. He curled his hands into fists and readied for a fight.

She chuckled and replaced the knife in her boot. Leaver herself defenseless. "You call us crazy? You won't get your beautiful new city. You won't get your new toys and cool new duds. We're going to kill you with it."

Her body split into three. He blinked and for a moment and saw the Heretic. He stumbled and fell back against the wall.

"I filled your little cave with poison of my own blend. I've spent the last year building up my immunity but you're going to feel it bad." She twirled her hair and swung her hips casually. "The usual stuff tweaked with some fear toxin and venom. Won't kill you but the withdrawal is nasty."

Damian gave up. He knew when to retreat. He stumbled for the door and burst through it. Flipping down into the Hibernaculum below.

It was all gone. Everything.

The planes. The cars. The weapons.

* * *

When he woke he was back in his office. Tim was stripping his suit off his legs and hanging it back into the restroom compartment. Tim was covered in dirt and ash, Damian hadn't noticed earlier. His suit was tattered and shredded, light burns covered his hand and neck. 

"Terry." Damian reached out and touched the boy's shoulder.

"Batman." Terry sniffed a hollow laugh.

"The asylum is gone Dami. The second they left in the cars they bombarded Arkham. Everyone's gone." Tim slumped in the chair and sighed. 

"She wanted the Joker. The imposter." Damian said through gritted teeth. "They have everything we have."

"What are you gonna do?" Terry asked. His face was blank. Damian knew he was still in shock. He reached for his suit and began to redress.

"Were going to take you to your mom." Damian gave a reassuring smile. "You're my priority."

"Let me help." Terry pleaded. "There's got to be something I can do. Please. I thought we were alike, but you're Batman and I'm useless."

Damian bent down and hugged Terry to his chest. "You're not useless at all. The best thing you can do to help me is staying safe. That'll put my mind at rest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried writing this. Really bad.
> 
> Nothing is going to be the same after the next few chapters are done. I did decide to spilt it up.
> 
> *latest update*  
> It's been 5 days and I have been trying and trying to write the next chapters out. But I've lost my motivation temporarily. 
> 
> Im going to give myself a little time to recuperate. Then get stuck right into writing again.


	62. Enter: Joker

Damian ducked from the blast and ran as fast as his legs would take him. He was heir to the demon's head, he was the best fighter on the plant, he was Batman. But he could not survive a tank blast.

His head was swimming. He couldn't focus. Every movement took extra effort. Each punch was as if he was holding a rock in his hand. Each kick felt like he had a weight and chain attached to his leg.

"Where is Oracle?" Damian groaned. He ducked behind a dumpster and caught his breath.

"She's stuck at the GCPD. Being chief of security isn't doing her any favours right now. She's locked in." Bruce informed them. "The Batcomputer is shut down. When Punchline hacked the main computer it completely shut us down."

"Keep the line open. And check in with everyone." Damian said. He whipped around and grabbed the hand that reached for him.

"Getcha hands offa me." The blonde struggled and twisted again the wall Damian pinned her against.

"Harley?" He released her and touched the stapled mess on her neck.

"I thought you'd be dead. I was bettin' myself you'd be dead." She dropped the gun and adjusted her bandolier. She pushed her goggles back up onto her head and looked around at the destruction. 

"You're hurt." Damian stated.

"Oh I'm hurt a bunch. Knifeline or whateva tried to shut me up. This mouth don't shut easy." She shrugged and hauled the gun over her shoulder. "They attacked the safe house. Pammy is recoverin' in her garden. As long as she's got sun, water and some minerals. They got her bad, we weren't ready for it. I came to help. It'll be just like last time. What a difference a few years makes eh?"

"You shouldn't be out here. Not in your state." Damian scolded he ducked from a rogue Batmobile and stumbled with dizziness. He giggled quietly and pressed his mouth into a hard line.

"Neither should you. I tailed you from China Town. You're a mess. You've obviously been dosed with Joker Toxin. Ya mouth hasn't stopped twitching. Unless you've got another drug habit?" Harley flicked off his white outs, he did not ask how she knew where the release was, she shined a pen light in his eyes and frowned. "I was never a chemistry girl. More talk therapy. But if you ask me, there's some fear toxin in there. The whites of ya eyes are going yellow. And perhaps some sort of agent to make it stick. Adrenaline based? To activate the fear toxin? Hmm" She stopped and tapped her lip. "Venom?"

"Congratulations you've deduced what Punchline told me when she dosed me." Damian spat. He flicked down his whiteouts and strode off into the street. He held out a commlink for Harley and continued to climb over debris to the bike.

"Look at all this. All the gangs are throwing in with Joker. All because he promised them some toys? Jokermobiles. Jokerbikes. Jokerplanes. They didn't even wait until night. I may not be the nicest person but her poor regular folk don't stand a chance. They're gonna start taking matters into their own hands soon." Harley bent to close a civilian's eyes.

"I don't understand this. Where does the Joker stand in this?" Damian found the bike mangled and rolled over by a larger Jokermobile. He broke open the compartment and salvaged what he could. 

"Miss Punchable has taken the whole general role. She's running the gangs from Tricorner as you well know. The place is a fortress. All of it." Harley popped her commlink in and squealed down the line. "Brucie get a pen ya gonna need to jot this down."

"That's Penny 3, Harley. Codenames." Bruce grumbled.

"Right so on my way here. I heard that they've taken over Ace Chemicals. You were probably a guinea pig for a gross new joker toxin. Now I know a joker plot, and they're prepping for an endgame. The fake mista J? He's just torturing people on the ad breaks and showing footage of the carnage. He's not doing anything. And it worries me. We have to stop the fighting." Harley urged.

"Stop fighting." Damian mumbled. He squeezed his eyes shut and desperately tried to force back the memories. "Stop fighting."

Everything spun and grotesquely misformed into a scene Damian had spent years ridding from his memory. The glass shattered around him. He could feel the shards scraping his face, even though the last pieces of reason were screaming at him that this wasn't real.

He felt small. Not because he was taken back to when he was 12 years old, but because he was lost. The battle was lost before it had begun, his tiny fist was a mere annoyance to the Heretic. But still, as the WE ceiling blinked into view above him, he heaved himself up and pulled the string back on the crossbow. He was Robin, and Robin didn't quit.

"Mother." Damian coughed blood and aimed for the Heretic's heart. "Call off your monster."

* * *

Harley spun round at the thud behind her. Damian cowered on the floor. He mumbled nonsense and stared into the sky.

"Aww jeez. What is it with you lot and flashbacks, collapsing and shit. This is exactly like last time." Harley groaned. She held Batman up by his cape and shook him. She slapped his round the face and tried to shake him from his dream. "Bruce, he's losing it!"

"It's Penny 3. What's happening to him?" Bruce thundered over the commlink.

"Penis for free. It's the fear toxin." Harley spat. She tried to still Damian and stop him moving. Just long enough to maneuver the syringe from her belt. "Come on Batman, You gotta keep your head on straight. If you go crazy the fake out is gonna kill ya."

Damian pushed her away and mumbled something Harley couldn't quite catch.

"Bruce I think I can make him better but I'll need to sedate him. He'll be out the game for anythin' up to a day. Depending on how much of an ass he is." Harley twirled the syringe in her hand. She could practically hear Bruce chewing over the choice in his head. 

"Do it. I'll reroute Red Robin to cover more of the city." Bruce grumbled. He paused and thought carefully. How much did he trust Harley? "Keep him safe, please."

"I will Penis 3." Harley gripped the syringe and jabbed it into the open space on Damian's chin. He crumpled and fell unconscious quickly. His head lolling and drooling as Harley dragged him away to find a car. "Gotham needs you to get your shit together. Or we're all gonna die."

* * *

He strode across the roof and smiled out over the destruction. He felt like a king, he felt like he'd earned it. Or maybe he was more of a queen. His little worker bees were building their hive, Tricorner was now Joker Town. The whole district seized and transformed into a fortress. His worker bees sowed destruction and mayhem through the rest of the city. They brought death and suffering, as quickly as a bee would sting. 

"The problem with bees is they only sting once. Like my little helpers who crawled out of the hive to break me out they'll fall soon. Vengeance will catch up with them. The night will swallow them. Batman will stop them." Joker giggled and turned around to his new, faithful lieutenant. "It'll be too late won't it my dear Punchline. My Punchline." He tilted her chin up and kissed her with unusual tenderness. 

"It looks beautiful." Punchline whispered as she followed his gaze onto the burning city. 

"It does doesn't it? Soon all the black smoke will be replaced with a delightful shade of green. Speaking of which-" Joker shook a bottle of green hair dye and placed it in her hands. 

She rolled her eyes and began to mix the dye. She'd witnessed her new lover getting a haircut from a barber he threatened. Arkham wasn't kind to him, he was a shadow of his glorious, confident self. The green of his hair was gone when she broke him out, replaced by overgrown ginger locks. Punchline had already stocked their hideout with new coloured suits, and extravagant accessories in preparation for his return. 

"You haven't told anyone about the secret have you? It's so intimate and personal. It needs to stay between us, or the fun stops." Joker warned. His punchy voice was restrained into a dark tone.

"Yes. While Wayne Manor was the primary attack location, we masked it with smaller attacks to other important locations. No one else knows Damian Wayne is Batman." Punchline reassured him. 

Joker chuckled and tapped his feet. After his laughing, he settled into a chair and let his lieutenant spread the dye over his hair. "It makes so much sense now doesn't it? Daddy bats nearly died when I blew him up, and the baby packed up the cape. Do you want to know how I found out?" Punchline hummed her agreement. "Tommy Elliot, Gotham knows him as Hush. The old codger is dying! And he can't scheme anymore, he was already planning an escape. He wanted to give a final fuck you to Broosey before running away to die somewhere nice." 

Joker cackled again and wiped tears from his eyes. "I cheated really. It's not an admirable way to find out Gotham's biggest secret. And it's a shame, Hush is a frail old man now, he was a great adversary of the old Batman. My time at Arkham has humbled me my dear, I was a very small fish in a dark swirling cesspool that is Gotham's enlightened. But I'm better now. I've learned, I've adapted, I've grown. Me and my Batman were both young. He was 20, I was 18. He was the pretty, bronze skinned Prince of Gotham. I was a scruffy, forgotten weirdo. Now look at us." 

Joker held his hands out and framed the city in his span. "No one will forget me, I'm king of the weirdos. All of my worker bees from last time cut their little tags and flew free. Even more regular Gothamites donned a mask and joined my army."

"And Batman?" Punchline asked. 

Joker scoffed and waved the question away. "Batman is everything isn't he? I've made my move. He'll make his. He's still too hopped up on the new toxin to make his play right now. So we can enjoy and savor the anarchy." He pulled Punchline into his lap and roamed his hands over her. "There's something I need you to do." He whispered. 

"Anything." Punchline said breathlessly. 

"Red Hood. The one my predecessor killed. He's off on his own, I want you to pay him a visit." 

"Done." Punchline nodded. 

"Then there's the matter of Harley Quinn. Spotted in the city with Batman." Joker sneered. "Seems you didn't finish it properly last time. Lots of staples on her neck. You've got a second chance though!" 

"About fucking time." Punchline bounced with excitement. 

"You already missed a big opportunity with Poison Ivy, and you went for her neck. From my fellow Arkham inmates: You want to fuck with Harley Quinn? Gotta go straight for the heart." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> I've had my hiatus and I'm feeling good. The words are spilling out.


	63. Collateral Damage - Red Hood

Jason marched back to his bike and huffed. He'd tried his best to stop regular folks looting the stores but it was a half-assed effort if Jason was being honest. The city was eating itself, they had every right to grab what they could and hide. He would do the same.

He tapped the back of his glove and started a recording from his mask.

"Well if this thing ain't on then I'm gonna be rambling to myself." Jason rambled to himself. "My therapist suggested that I could verbalise my thoughts, not even in front of people, but just out loud. And to be honest, there's no better time to do to do it than in the middle of a crisis."

Jason sped off on his bike and made as much noise as he could. He revved his bike and fired off some rounds, grabbing the attention of the Jokerz littering the streets. He baited them into following him. He had the feeling that he had been tailed since he crossed the bridge into Coventry. Luckily he knew where he could thin the Joker's ranks and maybe catch out his shadow.

"Well my loyal red shiny mask. Gotham, on its best day, is a concrete toilet. This really ain't it's best day. This night, actually, it's a city inflamed. Not by it's usual civil unrest, or even this city's garden variety anarchy." Jason spoke into his mic as he weaved through the crowd of terrified civillian's. "Nope. Tonight, it's something specifically unique to Gotham, a brand of chaos that can only come from the mind of one homicidal psychopath known as the Joker." Jason scoffed. "Well the new Joker Lite version. Although this plot does give the original's schemes a run for its money."

Red Hood slowed and shot a bullet into the chest of a clown. He stumbled back and allowed the civilian he was chasing to escape his clutches. The man thanked Red Hood and hurred away from the chaos.

"I'd rather have finished him." Jason admitted to himself. "The urge is always there with these lowlife clowns that forget their lives and city whenever the Joker says to give in to their darkest desires. The urge is always there. But I made a promise to my dad long ago and I've honored it, except for one incident. I'm not perfect. Batman's City, so rubber bullets it is."

Jason went to speed away again. His stunts had pulled the attention he wanted, the gang of Jokerz were hot on his tail. An old lady ran to him.

"Bat-kid!" She shouted. "You can't leave us here."

Jason raced away despite the lady's pleas. The Jokerz were focused on him alone now.

_Fucking Bat-Kid? I'm in my 30s!_ He sighed in his head. 

"I don't want to leave these people out in the open. They're vulnerable. But I have to. I need to thin the ranks here, and I'm on a time limit." Jason stated.

The city blurred away as Jason picked up speed. He lost the Jokerz who were right on his tail, but left markers and tire marks so they knew where he went. He sighed as he stood in front of the home. Old memories seeped through the cracks of his boarded up brain. They all burst forth at the same time Jason plunged his foot through the wooden barricade masquerading as a door replacement.

"This is Ma Gunn's school for wayward boys." Jason explained to nobody. "After my mom died and dad went to prison, and I got nicked for stealing Batman's wheels, this place was home." Jason brushed debris and clutter away with his boot and trudged onto the home.

"Hasn't got any nicer with age. It was a hideout for the Outlaws. Me, Artemis and Bizarro. But they died and I said my goodbyes. This place had been bought and sold twice or so times since then. People tried to repair it or make it into something nice. But it's a protected building and isn't worth the money they have to pour into it. The last guys pulled out and left the place with no roof." Jason grimaced. "There not quite a way to describe the smell. It's damp, mouldy and the open roof does nothing to help. Neither does my mask apparently, it's meant to have a filter but this place is dead."

He stepped over the puddles and made his way into the kitchen he knew so well. Everything had gone, he wouldn't have expected it to be here after so many years. But he could see it with his mind. The rotting piles of wood and debris were replaced with a fridge, cooker and cupboards. If he imagined it hard enough, he could still see the last morsels of cold food him and the other boys would fight over before it turned mouldy. Jason would always win, while the other boys were as rough as he was, they all came from other poorer areas of Town. None of them had to fight to survive in Crime Alley.

"It's funny. I escaped death. But one life later, the past keeps dragging me back. Maybe I let it. Maybe I dwell on my death too much? But if you died, then got another shot, you might question your own existence exactly as much as I do." Jason spoke to the air and his non-existent audience.

"I was dropped here as a foster kid. Sponsored by a billionaire playboy. Because that happens everyday. This was before I knew who he was. To me, he was just some guy." Jason chuckled to himself. "I remember it perfectly." 

Jason let his mind drift back to that day, so long ago that anyone else would forget it, but Jason's important memories were burned into him. He'd never forget the day he met his father, without the mask. 

"I was rummaging through the fridge for a drink, he scared me by just appearing out of nowhere. Asshole." Jason scoffed. "I told him I appreciated what he'd done for me to get me into this home. I told him I didn't need a friend." Jason laughed loudly before he continued. "He said 'nor I', and I mocked him hard for it. But he insisted on a sandwich. And it was pretty damn impressive for a posh guy." 

Jason sighed and held his hands up. Like he was holding the plate like he did years ago. He was laughing, Bruce was laughing. Only Bruce had been able to get him to smile again. To show he was happy again. 

"The first night I met Bruce he was dressed as Batman. He could've dropped me at the local precinct for burglary but he didn't. He took me out for a burger and we ate on the hood of the Batmobile. People who didn't know Batman assumed he was an ass hat. They'd be right he was, and still is. But under all the masks and walls. He cares. He still cares for me." 

Jason caught sight of some Jokerz lurking at the gate. "Well my little cathartic trip down memory lane is over." He placed the device on the support pillar and began to walk further into the home, towards the other exit. 

"In about 4 minutes and 45 seconds, this whole place is going to come down. I knew they were watching, they have been for nearly an hour now. It seems the fake Joker likes me as much as the last one." Jason lit a fire and let it spread throughout the room. "I don't feel bad about sacrificing this place. It has its own dirt past that should've been burnt away long ago. Finally this cesspool can do some good. I promised B, I wouldn't kill anyone. And with the roof and most of the upstairs floors missing, the building coming down most likely won't kill them. But there going to be burnt, mangled and incapacitated. Makes the job easier for us." 

The Jokerz started to pour in and pursue him through the house. Jason drew them to the middle of the building and began to take them on.

"He can't kill all of u-" One clown shouted. 

Red Hood fired a shot straight into the clowns mask and shattered it. The man fell back in a spray of blood and clutched at his face to stop his ruptured nose bleeding. 

"I don't have to." Jason said through a smile. "A rubber bullet from a .45 is still gonna leave a mark." Jason ducked and crossed his arms. Two more bullets fired under the chins of two approaching Jokerz. 

"And if B had a problem with my plan, he would've stopped me. In his old age his breathing is a lot heavier and the mics in the cave aren't top quality. He tuned out as the fighting started, he don't like to watch me work. Just incase I do slip up and kill someone he has some deniability." Jason explained. He booted a clown back and shot her thigh. She crumpled and failed to dodge Jason's approaching boot slamming into her head. "Well that's what I like to think anyway. He'd deny it."

Red Hood thinned the ranks with brutal efficiency. In situations like the one he was in, his extended magazines were the handiest tool he had. The bodies were literally piling up around him. As he fought back to the rear exit, the Jokerz found themselves in a choke point. Jason took the chance to throw a flash grenade and run for it. 

The building churned and creaked. The grating sound of metal and the creak of wood tore at Jason's soul and sent him into panic. "I know that sound." Jason shuddered. The building wasn't the sound in question. Jason's trained ears picked up a different noise. Pained, begging screams and clang of metal cracking down on flesh and bone. "It's a sound I'll never forget, I hear it again and again. The night I was murdered. I still hear it in my nightmares. I can't forget it."

Jason ran fast. Smoke filled his lungs as he climbed the steps. He couldn't stop now. He had time but he didn't even want to risk the possibility. "Not again. Never again."

Punchline savagely brought the crowbar down again and again on her victim. She giggled at every scream and plea for mercy. She answered them with another swing. She only stopped when her and the victim weren't the only ones in the room. 

"Red Hood isn't it? Jason? Were you expecting someone else?" She taunted him and stepped back behind the victim. 

David looked up at Jason and tried to raise his hand. "J-Ja-son." He begged. 

Jason lunged forward and was stopped midair by a metal pole. He fell back and tried hard to regain his sense of reality. A grating voice blasted from the henchman's mask. 

"Jay Jay!" Joker teased. "Mr Red Todd. Jason Hood."

"Wassa matter Joker? " Jason groaned. "Afraid to fight me one on one?" 

"It's called delegating." Joker remarked. His mouthpiece lunged forward with surprising speed. Jason rolled and retrieved his sword. "I call this clown Big Boy. I mean look at the size of him." Joker explained as he dodged the clowns hits. He blocked a blow from Punchline's crowbar with his gauntlet and kicked her back. 

"Give me an address, Joker. I'll come and beat the shit out of you right now." Jason twirled and plunged one of Big Boy's knives into Punchline's arm. He enjoyed her scream of pain too much, he was caught off guard by the clown's fost and was sent stumbling back. He pressed the attack, he drove his fist up into Big Boy's jaw and sliced across his chest. "You get to hate me, but why my bartender. My friend. He had no stake in this!" 

Joker laughed through the speakers. "It's because he's your friend! A loyal employee since you opened your little club. He's been your friend long enough to be let in on your secret." Jason fell back as the clown landed an enormous punch to his face. 

Red Hood groaned and rolled over. "I'll get you out of this David. I'm so sorry you got dragged into this." 

"Thank. Y-you for. Tryin', pal." David forced a smile of bloodied teeth.

Jason heaved himself up and braced for a fight. He wasn't prepared for a crowbar around his face. He flew back and toppled out of the window. 

* * *

"Red Hood!" Bruce shouted. Jason was still unresponsive. "Jay!" 

Jason woke with a violent startle. The building was engulfed in flames, debris was lettered all around him from the explosion. "Bruce. How long have I been out?" Jason asked as he ran back into the flames. 

"About ten minutes. Jason, don't go in there. The buildings coming down completely." Bruce urged. Jason shut him off and shielded his face as he walked through walls of flame. 

"David!" Jason screamed. He focused his ears but all he could hear was fire crackling and the building caving in. 

"Please no." Jason mumbled to himself. He tore through the burning wood and cleared a path to where he was thrown from. He sagged in defeat when he uncovered a hand, poking from the splinters of wood. He carefully moved what he could and pulled the lifeless body of one of his oldest friends into his lap. He cradled David's head and held it to his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." He got out of the wreckage as quick as he could, and laid the body on the cool grass.

His communicator blinked. He considered ignoring it but he knew he still had a duty. He flipped it on and listened in as he closed his friend's eyes. 

"The Joker, he's at the children's hospital!" Barbara's voice blared from his wrist. "With a bomb - crrrrzz - oh no! - crrrrzz." Her voice cut off and crackled as her line went dead. 

"Oracle? If you can hear me; if anyone can hear me. I'm on my way." Tim announced. 

Jason pushed the dirtied strands of hair off David's face. "I failed you. I let you down Dave. I won't let them down." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How cool is the Titans Red Hood suit? I love it!


	64. Collateral Damage - Red Robin

"Harley's doing what?" Tim screamed. He pummeled a clown with his fist and focused on the voice in his ear.

"Red Robin, I had no other choice. He's getting worse and Harley promised to me." Bruce tried to reassure him.

"You didn't even ask her what she was going to do? Where is your sense of safety? That's your son. That's my fiancé! After everything you taught us about being safe you pull this shit." Red Robin growled. 

"It's a risk I had to take." Bruce grumbled. 

"A risk you had to take? I tuning out now B. Fuck off!" Tim turned off his comms and switched on his own miniature Batcomputer on his wrist. Being completely separated from the main computer, this system of Tim's own architecture was unaffected by Punchline's takeover. He saw a blinking light in Midtown which needed urgent attention and grappled into the air.

Once he was high enough he spread his wings and let the air glide him across the city. He closed his eyes for a moment and just breathed. The blissful feeling of the wind rushing past him calmed his rage so he could think clearly again.

_Maybe I shouldn't have lashed out like that._ Tim considered. _But it would've been to have been consulted. Not me personally, just all of us. The Gotham Knights. Everyone who sits at the table and has a stake in the city's protection._

Tim twirled in the air and shot a line out at the nearest building. He whipped round the side and resumed his gliding to the spot in Midtown he could see burning and getting torn apart.

_Bruce isn't the be all and end all of the city anymore. Hasn't been for years. We decided that we all have equal say. It was his idea. I'm tired of him pushing everyone out on big decisions._ Tim argued in his head.

He dropped down into the crowd of panicked civilians with a roll and extended his staff to full length. The people scattered and made way for him. The relief on their faces would've been heartwarming, had Tim not have been focusing on the imminent fight. He whistled at the clowns. They turned on him with speed and ferocity, but it didn't matter for Tim.

He smiled and whipped his staff up, with so much speed that it barely looked like he'd moved. The clown flew back into a car in a spray of blood and teeth. The other Jokerz stopped and reassessed the attack plan. Tim briefly thought he might've shown too much skill too early on, he thought he might have added minutes he didn't have onto a fight. But then he remembered why they were scared. He was a force they couldn't comprehend. He was faster than a bullet and hit harder than a tonne of bricks. They had no idea how to fight him, other than swing wildly and hope for the best. To them, Batman and his family were Superman level power. They had no reason to think differently. It was up to Red Robin to dictate this fight.

In a blink Tim shoved the butt of his staff into a clown's stomach, then instantly cracked it off his forehead. He flourished the staff and pummeled the next group with laser precision. Head. Collarbone. Knee. Neck.

They fell like dominos. A streak of red and black tore through them with a glint of silver in the moonlight. Tim grinned as he took each clown down. He shouldn't have enjoyed it, inflicting deliberate pain wasn't what he was taught. He was taught compassion and efficency.

_But these people dropped their morals as soon as a madman said to._

Red Robin made a performance of his fight. He extended his movements and flipped around like Nightwing would. Despite being armed with automatic rifles and knives of all kinds, the Jokerz posed no threat to Tim. He had full faith in his skills and abilities. He had full faith that he could dodge bullets and avoid their wild slashing.

Tim didn't anticipate his staff getting torn from his hands. It clattered to the pavement, and rolled too far to reach. Tim sighed and cracked his neck.

_Now I've gotta break a sweat._

He leaped forward and used his wing to slash the gunman's arm. He drove his head forward and ruptured the clowns nose, before digging his fingers into the open wound and flipping him over onto the concrete. Tim swung from the near lamppost and kicked his next opponent back into the group, to give himself some distance.

He tanked a blow with his gauntlet and punched back. He had no time to breathe, another two clowns were on him. He kicked their legs away and stomped on their hands. If he was lucky, he'd have broken them and stopped them from reaching for any other weapons.

One of the Jokerz came at Tim with his own staff. From his posture and grip on the staff, Tim determined he had a basic understanding of how to use it. He pulled the staff back into his one hands and quickly wrapped it round the face of the astounded clown he'd taken it from.

"Now boys, if you want to use one of these, you need practice." Tim explained. He used the length of the staff to push some Jokerz back. "I've been using this since I was 12." He jabbed the end under a clown nearly twice his size, then whipped it down into his crotch. 

"I was taught by one of the greatest fighters in the world." Red Robin taunted the next clown. He cracked the staff off his knee and punched him out when he collapsed.

"This is part of me now." Tim smiled as he spoke. "I'm a master of it. Most likely the best staff wielder in the world. You can't just pick this up and swing it."

Tim tapped on a pressure button on the staff and released the pointed end. He drove it into the ground and used it to swing round and boot a clown's mask off. "You need to be creative and fluid."

He pulled the staff out and precisely tapped it against his next opponents pressure points. "You need finesse." The clown crumpled to the floor, paralysed.

Tim blocked a swing of a machete and flicked his wrist to send the blade flying. "You need balance."

The last clown looked sheepish and feeble. He dropped his tire iron and held his hands up in surrender. Tim swung wide and brought the end of his staff across the clown's face. "You need strength."

Tim heaved a long breath into his lungs and collapsed his trusty partner. He radioed through to the GCPD and tied all the criminals up.

"The Joker, he's at the children's hospital!" Barbara's voice blared into his ear. "With a bomb - crrrrzz - oh no! - crrrrzz." Her voice cut off and crackled as her line went dead. 

_Barbara? I thought she was stuck at the GCPD._ Tim thought. _This is Barbara, I'm sure she found a way, she always does._

"Oracle? If you can hear me; if anyone can hear me. I'm on my way." Tim said into his comms. He grappled up and flew away across town. He prayed he'd get there in time. 


	65. Collateral Damage - Nightwing and Oracle

**Dick**

"Reports and footage are flooding in from Gotham where a new Joker is holding the city hostage with high tech weaponry and an army of citizens that flocked to his side. The GCPD is under siege and the city limits are guarded by the Joker's gang." The news reporter grimaced at her own words. "The first of the attacks, a bombing at Wayne Plaza's City plan event, killed over 30 people. 4 of which were children. An additional 50 people were injured in the blast. Since then the city has fallen into chaos. So far it is estimated the cost property damage is over $30 million dollars. The death toll as of an hour ago is 943 lives lost. Not included the Joker's ranks. We'll bring you the full report in half an hour at our 12 o clock program."

Dick shut off the TV and gripped the arms of the couch hard enough for him to hear the wood creaking. He hadn't seen the city in worse shape in nearly 10 years, and all he had been doing was sitting and watching from miles down the coast.

"I've got to help Bea." Dick sighed. He stormed into the bedroom and dug out the dusty locked case from under his bed. It scanned his eyes and registered his fingerprint before opening and revealing a pristine and unused costume.

"Dick you can't go. You've already been on the phone non stop coordinating Blüdhaven's response." Bea pleaded. "I know you don't like being forced to stay home after the attack on the Manor but you're rusty Dick. You're out of practice and this is the most dangerous Gotham's been in years."

Dick snarled and pointed his finger inches from her face. "You think I don't know that?" He boomed. "I feel fucking useless! My family could be dying or worse and I'm here." Dick fell back, defeated. He pressed his hands onto his eyes and curled up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry Bea."

Bea picked up the domino mask and closed her eyes for a moment. She remembered the first time she'd met Dick in costume. She remembered how breathtaking he was, almost as breathtaking as the detective who came into the bar every Friday after his shift. She remembered Dick balancing on her fire escape as she showed him the pregnancy test, and how Dick nearly fell off. She remembered the look of pure joy on his face any time he'd tell her stories of the people he saved and helped. "Dick. Honey." She murmured.

He hummed but stayed curled up.

She pulled his hand out and placed the mask into his palm. "You go, and you save Gotham. Be the hero one last time but you fucking come back to me Dick Grayson. You come back to your daughter." She breathed away tears and steeled herself. "Nightwing gets his last hurrah, and then you're leaving this suit at the Manor. You promised us both you were done."

Dick gripped the mask. "Nightwing's last hurrah."

Bea piled the suit into his lap. "Selena's in Blüdhaven right now. I'll call her over to protect me and Elainna in case the Jokerz come here."

Dick frantically got dressed and checked his suit to be sure he had everything. Bea could barely look at him, he looked at her sympathetically as he made his way to Elainna's room, but she turned away. She looked at him like he was a man resigned to death. He couldn't blame her, time and time again he promised her, he was going to give it up. But another crisis arose, and Nightwing sprung to action again. He always knew that once Elainna was born he needed to stop and be a father, but old habits die hard.

He poked his head into Elainna's room. She was sleeping soundly, cuddled up with her beloved Superman teddy. Dick crouched by her bed and tucked a rogue strand of hair into her satin cap.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me sweetie. You filled an empty spot in me I didn't know was there. It's killing me to go out there again, but your uncle Damian, auntie Cass and everyone need help. I always taught you to be a good person. And I'd be a shitty person if I didn't help now." Dick kissed her cheek. "Daddy loves you so much, and I hope you'll remember that if I don't come back."

"You are coming back." Bea demanded outside the door. "Please come back." Dick kissed her and hugged her tightly. He considered tearing the suit off and going to bed. But it was nothing more than a fleeting thought. It wasn't really a viable option. The choice was made the second he saw the mask again. 

He reluctantly let her go and walked away to the garage. He pulled the cover off his bike and wheeled it to the door. "I love you, bartender lady." Dick smiled cheekily.

"I love you too Nightwing."

* * *

The clown screamed and flew back into the car. Dick's escrima stick in his stomach had sent him flying as he raced past the blockade on his bike. The city's colourful hue was replaced with an ominous orange glow. Dick had seen it many times, the earthquake unleashed hell like this. The gang wars turned the city into a giant kill box. But this time felt different. After all these years, Gotham hadn't had a crisis like this since before Damian was Batman. The weapons they had, the cars they drove, the numbers they had. For the first time, Dick knew that the Joker was on completely equal footing as the family.

A batplane circled Chinatown. Dick designated it as his first target. He ditched the bike and flew off up the tallest building he could see. He scoped it out and let it make some passes by him.

"Cockpit is empty. Someone's controlling this remotely. That's good." Dick mused to himself.

He put his sticks back onto his shoulders and took some steps back. He breathed and steadied his heart. "One shot."

The plane arced through the air and made its way through the air, back to Dick. He raced to the edge of the building and leaped off into the air. The wind whistled in his ears, time seemed to slow as he walked into the air. He hadn't needed a safety net in 28 years, he didn't need one now.

The plane appeared under him as he twisted in the air. He hoped and prayed the magnetic pads on his glove would help him enough to cling on. Nightwing grasped the hull and felt the weight fall away from his body as the plane yanked him through the air.

He placed the EMP grenade above the cockpit and clicked the timer. The engine choked and fell silent as the grenade did it's job. Nightwing braced himself as the ground came quickly to meet him. He leaped away at the last minute and shot the grapple from his stick.

He cried out as he hit the side of a building hard on his ribs. But there was no time for pain. The EMP would only keep Bat technology dormant for a minute before the backup generator kicked in and rebooted the system. Dick dropped down to the wreckage and got to work ripping open as many electrics as he could from the controls. "Damn it Lucius. Why did you have to build these so well?" He cursed. He wedged explosive pellets as far as he could into the main electrics and ran.

The explosion threw him into the road. He curled up and shield his face from debris and only uncurled once the ringing in his ears had stopped. Dick inspected the wreckage and twirled an escrima stick between his fingers. "I still got it." He congratulated himself while grinning. 

He looked across the distance and saw some red wings floating across the sky. With a shrug he grappled away and headed in the same direction as Tim.

* * *

**Barbara**   
  


"Barb? Barbara?" Jim called. He hobbled through the security room towards the glowing light at the end of the room. 

"I'm here Commissioner." Barbara called. She hid all Oracle related stiff on the computer and pulled up some GCPD files. 

Jim huffed and leaned on his cane. "How many times do I have to tell you sweetie, you can call me dad at work. It's been years and you haven't done it once." 

Barbara swiveled her chair round and smiled. "Employee handbook, rule 5: Address co-workers in a correct and professional manner." 

"I'll change it. When has a Gotham cop ever followed the rule book anyway." Jim grumbled. He sat on the stool next to her and looked over the statistics and files on her screen. "How's the generator holding up?" 

Barbara expanded the security panel and eyed the numbers carefully. "I've had to redirect power from all non essential lights cut power from unused sockets. The bat signal must stay off and everyone should use the glow sticks while we're under siege." 

Jim grimaced and shook his head. "I can't get up to the roof anyway. The planes are still out, although we got some radio connection back and apparently one got taken down." Jim hummed in thought. "I wonder why they haven't made an attack run yet. They could flatten the whole building."

 _Because I keep hacking them when they come in close and redirecting them. They aren't using manual controls because none of the dumb fucks know how to fly a plane._ Barbara answered in her head. 

"You should take a break dad. It doesn't look like this'll end anytime soon." Barbara patted her dad's leg. 

"This was my break Barb. I'm still coordinating the response by radio. I was in contact with Commissioner Grayson but we had to cut the long range radios to save power." Jim informed her. 

Her eyes pricked and Dick's name. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, she knew he'd be itching to come and help. "What about Dick?" 

"He's been put on house arrest." Jim chuckled. "No he's been told to stay home for his own protection. It's nasty what happened at Wayne Manor. They didn't want to risk him being attacked." 

"He'll be fine. So will Damian. They're both stubborn." Barbara mused. She held her phone away from Jim and tried to start a hack into the Batcomputer. She knew she may have let her mouth run away a little, but her mind was barely in the room.

Jim smiled as he got up to leave. "I know they are Barb. They wouldn't do so well if they weren't."

She tapped away at the computer with gritted teeth. She rubbed her eyes and carried on, until her hack failed completely. "Fuck!" She slammed her hand into the desk and leaned back in her chair. "My own programming won't let me back in. Damn it. Me and Tim are too good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Bea. I hope she sticks around post 'ric grayson', because she is a great match for dick but was wasted on a mediocre storyline.


	66. Collateral Damage - Robins 1, 2 and 3

"Red!" Jason called out. He jogged to meet Tim not far from the hospital.

"Hood?" Tim spun round and hugged Jason tight. "Man, am I glad someone else turned up."

"You'll be really glad two of us are here." Both reds turned and recoiled in horror. Nightwing gracefully dismounted from the van and held his arms out. Jason grabbed Dick's face and slammed it into the van window. "Hood! Jay, what the fuck?"

"Me what the fuck?" Jason spat. "What the hell are you doing here? In this thing?" He let go of Dick's face and crossed his arms defiantly. "Why are you doing this to Bea and Elainna? You were out of the war zone and in a completely safe City."

Nightwing dusted himself off and rubbed his face. "First of all Blüdhaven is far from safe. And me and Bea agreed, this is Nightwing's last mission. This is it."

Tim chucked him a commlink and synced it up to his computer. "You're an idiot. But we have a job to do. We got a distress call from Oracle. Bomb in the hospital. It's a trap and it wasn't Oracle that made the call. The Jokerz must've stolen that mimmicry tech we discontinued. My infrareds pick up about 100 Jokerz waiting for us beyond the car park, maybe more. But security feeds showed them moving to the basement. There is a bomb, but we have to get through them all."

"Let's stay traught and get this going then. My first, last team up of the night." Dick twirled his sticks and marched out onto the hospital plaza. Hundreds of Jokerz fanned out around them and jeered. They were waiting for the bats to make the first move.

A large man stepped through the crowd and snickered at Red Hood. "Big Boy." Jason snarled.

"Your boyfriend?" Tim asked.

"Joker lackey. He named him that. Killed David with Punchline. Not my type." Jason growled.

"I'm sorry about David, Jay." Tim patted his shoulder and whipped out his staff. "He was a great guy."

"Let's save it till later." Jay's voice was begging and on the verge of cracking. "What's everyone thinking?"

"B's 3rd formation. Thin the pack. Give me an opening to the bomb." Tim commanded, he didn't wait for anyone else's opinion. 

They leaped into action, the idle Jokerz were taken by surprise as they used Bruce's 3rd formation: Over and under. They all leaped over the first line of clowns and took their legs from under them. They plowed through as many as they could before retreating back. The maneuver had created a wall of unconscious bodies to slow down the crowd's approach.

They fought back as many as they could. Jason suppressed their approach with cover fire while Dick and Tim got in the thick of it. Tim found it exhilarating to fight with Dick again after so long. They were chairing through the crowd quickly, but not quick enough. Big Boy clearly had unfinished business with Jason and was keeping him from covering them with gunfire.

"This is getting messy Red." Jason shouted, he shot a bullet into his oversized opponents foot and barely slowed him. "Get to the bomb. We won't have long."

Tim ducked under a fist and raced into the hospital. "Thank god they all cleared out to fight us." Tim said aloud. He hopped over the bannister and dropped down into the basement. "Should be easy enough to disarm and- Oh fuck it!" Tim cursed.

The bomb ticked away. Tim had 39 seconds to go.

"39 seconds and it's wired every colour of the fucking rainbow." Tim hissed. He tried and failed to follow the tracks of the tangled mess. He sat back and took a moment to gather himself. "Wrong one, everyone dies. Too long, everyone dies. One right choice in 200 wrong ones." He wiped his forehead. "Whoever said it's better to be lucky than good was talking about today."

Tim leafed through the wires and picked out two purple wires. "Joker, purple. Makes sense." He held each wire between his fingers and checked the timer. '00:11'

_I hope I'm right. I have to be right._ Tim begged internally. He thought about all the lives teetering on a knife edge, balancing between his fingers. _Wherever you are Damian, I hope you know I love you._

He squeezed his eyes shut and yanked both wires out. The ticking stopped, Tim braced himself for death. 

He peeked out one eye and saw the blank timer. Breath rushed out of his body. He fell back and sat on his ankles, taking a moment to calm down. 

_You'd think after doing hundreds of times I'd be good at it by now._ Tim addressed himself. 

He raced back into the action, to his dismay, the crowd had barely thinned. He beat and kicked his way to Dick and stood back to back with him. 

"You're getting old. 10 years ago you would've had this handled by yourself." Tim jeered. He held Dick's arm and let himself be flung round, kicking several clowns in the process. 

"I don't think I'm doing so bad for a rusty ol' guy. You think we could tempt Penny 3 out here?" Dick chuckled. 

"Not unless we break out the Bat bunny." Tim laughed, he whipped his staff forward and fought back the circle closing around him and Nightwing. Still riding off his near-death adrenaline rush, Tim fought with youthful ferocity. Bodies fell in his path, he became a blur of red tearing through a sea of purple and green. 

A rabid looking clown swung for Tim's face with a blood stained baseball bat. Tim caught it in his hand and grinned. "Not this time." He snarled. He collapsed his staff and wrenched the bat from the clown's grip. He drove the end into the man's gut and flicked the opposite side up into his chin. 

_Oh, I like this!_

He swung the bat with all his strength through the knees of another assailant. He flew in the air and slammed down into the concrete with a crunch that Tim knew was bone. He knew he was being petty, and that going overboard with excessive force was wrong. But he gained some much needed catharsis and satisfying his vengeful appetite all with the weapon that nearly killed him years before. 

_I see why Jay still uses a crowbar._

"Hood! Drop." Tim called out. Jason complied and dodged the sledgehammer that was millimetres from cracking down on his head. Jason repaid the favor by throwing a shuriken past Tim's arm and into the shoulder of a clown behind him. Red Hood mockingly saluted him and jumped into a spinning kick to immobilise his next opponent. 

"Low High, Red?" Dick asked. Tim nodded and swept his bat over the shins of the last clown. Dick threw a haymaker punch into the clown's mask and plunged him into the ground. 

They stood among the sea of bodies and sucked some much needed air into their lungs. Jason waved down to Tim's bat and cocked his head questioningly. 

"Therapy." Tim shrugged. He held it up and smirked. 

"I like your style." Jason struck his crowbar off the metal bat in a mocking 'cheers' fashion. 

"Jeez what was this? Like 200 of them?" Dick panted. The trio looked across the pavement and puffed up with pride. Rarely did they ever get to practice 'crowd control', but it was always an accomplishment when they handled it successfully. 

Tim kicked a clown and rolled him over. A packet of gum fell out of his pocket. Tim's mouth watered, he picked it up and dusted it off. "Hey look, Hubba Bubba. Unopened!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Tim using their trauma weapons is a great look on them.
> 
> Also, a thank you to anyone keeping up, bottom damian week is going to bury my fic among hundreds of one shots. So if you still read it and could find it: you're the best!


	67. Eden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am beyond happy for Grant Morrison. I hope their coming out inspires more fans of their work to embrace queer characters instead of the white/straight norm.
> 
> Grant's writing is incredibly special to me, I have them to thank for introducing Damian to us and writing the most influential batman of our era.

"Nem 'amiy laqad takhalasat min alkhayin tmamana kama talabat." Damian mumbled as he stirred from unconsciousness.

_ <Yes Mother, I disposed of the traitor just as you asked.> _

"Who was the traitor?" Harley asked while sniffing a flower. Damian scrambled and crawled over the ground away from her. He shook himself and stopped cowering in fear. "What? I know Arabic." She shrugged.

"Where am I? Where the hell did you take me? There are people out there that need me." Damian shouted.

Harley rolled her eyes and heaved herself off the ground. "This is Eden. That's what Pammy calls it anyway."

"How did you get me out of Gotham?" He looked around and marvelled at the glowing colours. The air was crisp and fresh, it reminded him of the forests in the Himalayas. The water could only be compared to crystals. It captured the vibrant pinks and yellows of the plants and refracted it in every direction, bathing the cavern in shimmering light. He could sit here and soak up the atmosphere all day, his clouded mind entertained the idea too much, he dazed into the waters and got lost in it's beauty. Until Harley's shrill voice ripped him from bliss.

"You know a lot about the city, but you don't know everything." She helped him up and led him closer to the river. "Pam built this paradise for me in a cave system under the park. Mista J had just poisoned me and this was my rehab clinic. That's why I brought you here." She held out her hand and let the dragonflies dance through her fingers. "It sustains itself, to be honest, even I was surprised how much it had flourished while me and Pammy have been away."

"It's beautiful. Can I show Tim sometime?" Damian asked.

"Sure. We ain't using it, but I'd advise against sex because the plants might have some of Pam's residual personality. Also brings me to the first rule of Eden: No clothes. But we don't have that sorta relationship. I'm basically your auntie. Maybe me and ya dad but that ain't gonna happen." Harley led him back to where they were sitting, dancing through the flowers along the way. "Me and Pammy first found our love here, but it was originally used to get my brain in order. Same goes for you. Drink this." She held out a steaming cup and smiled maniacally.

Damian eyed the swirling liquid cautiously. "What the fuck is that?"

"It'll negate the effects of the poison that's making you go nuts and hallucinate. You tried fighting something with a non-existent gun or crossbow, whatever. As a therapist I diagnose you with some serious mommy issues. She sounds like a cunt." Harley pointed and placed the cup in his hands.

"She is." Damian grimaced.

"Look, it's all natural, plant based and will flush the shot out of your system. Trust me." Harley winked and smiled smugly. "I'm a doctor." 

He looked down into the cup and frowned. Could he really trust Harley Quinn? 

"This isn't how any sort of Joker would do things. The real one or a copycat. The math is sideways and we need you and the others to crack it. Gotham needs you. Drink ya fuckin' plant smoothie, and don't give me lip or I'll try a brain reset with my big hammer."

Damian sighed and downed the cup. It was disgustingly sweet and had an aftertaste that he could only describe as 'grass'. 

The cave twisted and swirled before his eyes, all the lights and colours blinked and flashed. 

"Harley what's happening?" Damian squeaked. 

"That means it's working I suppose. Bye bye now. You'll be out for a while." Harley waved and faded from his view. 

The cavern completely transformed, it misformed into a gross approximation of the Manor's top flight of stairs. Leading to a room he'd never see again. His body pushed the door open, and looked down at the empty bed. 

"This isn't real." Damian muttered to himself. 

"Of course it isn't Master Damian."

Damian spun round and felt the air leave his lungs. "Grandfather?" 

"Walk with me. I rather fancy sharing a pot of tea like old times." Alfred stated. He tipped his nose into the air and he spun on his heels, leading the way down into the kitchen. "You've seen some horrible things tonight Master Damian. Your brain is reaching around your memories to find the right kind of happiness, optimism and love. All the things that drive you. Not the misery and despair you've been reliving."

"You're not real. You died." Damian spat. 

"I know Sir. You're right. But you aren't dead." Alfred pottered around the kitchen with all the flair and grace of a ballet dancer. "You have been given the gift of being able to step back and take a breather. This concoction Ms Quinn made could take a while." Alfred set down the pot of tea and two cups between them. "Let's do this properly eh?" 

Damian sniffed the air and smiled. "Ah it's our darjeeling blend. The one you let me tweak to my taste." 

"I would say improved. You would drink this after the nightmares. Whenever you were frightened." Alfred mused. 

"It wasn't the tea that made me feel better, it was you." Damian admitted. "Even though we sat in silence, here in the kitchen, it was comforting to have you there with me."

"Tell me how bad it is." Alfred poured each cup. 

"Stronger toxin, army of immoral citizens pledging allegiance and he most likely knows our identities. He killed Titus, Grandfather. He has all my weapons and vehicles. I don't know where to start." Damian rubbed his eyes and sighed again. 

"You know this man. You know what you need to do. You need to do what your father always saw as a last resort. Consult the family, take this on united. None of you are willing to let life die, and that's why you'll win. You have something to fight for."

Damian chuckled and felt a tear roll down his cheek. "You always did know what to say. I've missed it, I never got to say goodbye."

Alfred reached out and held his shoulder. "Goodbyes are the hard part, perhaps it saved you some tears." 

"I wish you could've seen me and Tim together. I did mend things Grandfather, perhaps too well. We're engaged now." Damian clutched the hand on his shoulder with an iron grip. 

"I'm proud of you both." Alfred grinned. 

Damian sobbed and rested his head on the counter. "I miss you so much. How can I leave this? How can I leave you behind again?" 

"Because I'm a relic of the past Damian. I'm but a voice in your head." Alfred leaned in and slid his arm over Damian's shoulders. "Master Damian, you're clinging to the past, that's why you kept seeing your mother, and all your past sins. The guilt you think you buried is still lingering inside you. It's why I'm here right now. You have to let go. Let the weight be lifted."

"I want to keep hearing your voice again." Damian cried. "I don't know how to do this."

Alfred stood Damian up and straightened him. He brushed over his shoulders and wiped away the tears falling over Damian's face. "Go to our family. Go to your fiancé and take back the city. Build it how you planned and show everyone that same love that drives you, can build a better Gotham. You go and be that incredible young man I had the privilege of helping to raise."

"I love you Grandfather. Thank you." Damian hugged Alfred tight. 

"I love you too Damian. Now go and tell this city exactly who you are."

* * *

"Ya probably seein' a whole singin' an dancin' number right now. Batman: The Musical." Harley mused as she cleared up the cup Damian had spilled. "Maybe on ice! With big foam heads." She held down a branch to her mouth like a microphone and tapped it a few times. "Ivy if you're any better and you're hearing this through the grapevine, then can I have a sign whether or not I got the doses right. We need the kid up and ready, or I'm gonna hafta drag Brucie out of retirement. Quick day trip, not a full weekend at Woodstock. Kill the plant for no, make it grow for yes."

Harley held the plant away and waited for something to happen. After a few minutes she gave up on waiting for the sign." I hope you get better soon Pam. I'll be back in no time."

She adjusted Damian on the ground and positioned him more comfortably than the crumple he fell into after he passed out. "The Kitchen." he mumbled. 

"Ah man, not the kitchen." Harley huffed. "Now he's got the munchies."

"Do you ever shut up? I should've cut just a little deeper." 

Harley whipped her head up. "Punchbag."

"You should've picked somewhere more obscure and way less flammable." Punchline grinned and blasted the plants with her flamethrower. 

Harley dived and heaved Damian over her shoulders. Instinct drove her, she couldn't see past the orange flare but she knew she had to get out of the cavern. "Why the fuck are you all so heavy?" She knew there was no escape, not now. She threw Damian into a tucked away spot. "Now would be a really fucking good time to wake up. Come on shithead."

"He's not saving anyone, you old clown. That toxin will take days to wear off, there won't be anyone, or any city to save by then." Punchline blasted a tree with fire and strutted over to Harley. "Stop hiding behind an outdated and failed hero."

"How bout I hide behind a big ass gun instead?" Harley fired a volley of shots at the young girl. Her time spent with deadshot wasn't wasted, she hit the gas cylinder dead on. "Trying to cut my throat open was one thing, but burning down my favourite place in the city? Nuh uh. I dunno what this new joker has done to you-" 

"You don't know anything." Punchline spat. 

Harley slapped her bat onto her palm and charged at the Joker's latest assistant. "I went soft on you last time honey. I had a wife to protect. This time I ain't holdin' back."

Punchline dodged the bat and lunged with her knives. She skimmed Harley's cheek and felt a pang of joy when her face dripped red. "You're a relic, Harley. You were just The Joker's fuck toy, someone he used then threw away." She booted Harley and sent her skittering across the floor. 

Harley coughed and stood protectively between her and Damian. She knew Punchline was faster than her, more agile. She had the upper hand, youth was on her side. "What does that make you then Punchy?" 

"I proved myself Harley. This whole plan was both of our ideas. I proved to him I was a worthy partner. I believe in him. I believe he's the tire successor to the first Joker. I'll be there with him when he kills Batman. I truly do love him. And he absolutely loves me." Punchline shrugged and twirled her knives. 

"I understand, lady. I really do. We're exactly the same. He's using you. The same way my Mista J used me. He's a manipulator. Let me help you, it's not too late. I promise you I'll help." Harley recognised the ancient emotions stirring in her. "You don't have to become like me."

Punchline rolled her eyes and flicked her fringe from her eyes. "You still don't get it." She marched to Harley and swung wildly. "Not everyone's as stupid and gullible as you were. We're not the same." She pummeled Harley's face. "I'm not being used." 

Harley gritted her teeth and threw Punchline away. She pounced on her, and drove a knee into her gut. "I feel bad for you Punchy." She threw her fist into Punchline's nose. "But I'm done trying to help, you won't accept it. You won't accept that there is nothing more important to a Joker than their Bat." 

"You're wrong!" Punchline kicked Harley away and made a run for Damian. "I'll show you what the Joker feels, he'll love me forever once I kill Batman myself."

Damian gasped back into consciousness. The air was foggy with smoke. He heard a body clatter to the floor in front of him.

"No. How? The toxin should still be potent for another few days." Punchline said breathlessly.

"Your toxin has no hold on me." Damian growled. 

"How?" She stuttered. 

Damian paused. This isn't what his life was meant to be like. But it was what he was given, and he had to live in the now. "I'm Batman." He spread his cape as he jumped and drove his boot into her face. She crumpled to the floor under him.

"Bout time. You okay?" Harley jogged over to him. 

"I'm fine now. Thanks for the help." He wrapped his hand through Punchline's collar and dragged her behind him as he walked. "You good? 

"Yeah. She got me straight in the tit. That's Pammy's favourite one too." She clutched her breast and winced. 

Damian chuckled and patted her shoulder mockingly. He flicked up his computer lenses and scanned the immediate area for family members, seeing an unusual signal a couple of blocks away. "I'll leave her with you. Wait for the police to collect her, then help out where you can. Stay on the line though. I'm going out to round up the team. We need a meeting."


	68. The War for Gotham

Two thirds of the bats gathered in Old Gotham. Tim informed Damian that he was on his way. Kate and Renee quickly applied field dressings to their wounds. Damian had strong words with Kate when they rescued Lucius from the Jokerz, not long after he escaped the clutches of the toxin. But Kate Kane didn't quit easily, and now she was back in the field until this crisis had blown over.

Tim hopped over the roof into a crouch, followed by Red Hood and Nightwing.

"Nightwing?" Damian screeched. He bounded over and choked Dick to the ground. Nightwing squirmed, but Damian was furious. "What are you doing here?" Damian ground his face further into the gravel. "Why the fuck are you in this costume. You selfish asshole."

"Everyone always asks why am I here after attacking me." Dick stuttered. "Let me up Dami."

Damian let him go and watched him like a hawk as he hopped up from the ground. He lunged at Dick again, but hugged him unbearably tight until Dick couldn't breathe.

"I'm sorry. But I couldn't watch the city die. Or any of you." Dick whispered.

"Save it till later. We have a briefing." Damian whispered back, the razor edge of his voice didn't dull. Damian stood in front of the group and looked them over. Everyone was beaten and seemed dead on their feet. Tim lazily blew a bubble of gum, waiting for the plan. Harley leaned on her bat and gazed into the distance. Jason picked shards of his mask out of his face and flung them at Duke.

Damian sucked in a breath and steeled himself. "I'm backed into a corner. Joker knows what my next move must be. This is why you all need to take back the city."

"What do we need to do?" Steph asked. The energy in her voice contradicted her sagging eyes.

"Signal." Damian stated. Duke looked up and smiled. It instantly lifted Damian's mood. "You will be the field leader. I want you and Red Hood to go with Nightwing. You will lead a frontal assault on the fortress they've made in Tricorner." Duke nodded and fist bumped Jason.

"Spoiler. I need you to use your stealth skills to sneak in behind and work your way through to their center of operations. All surveillance Penny 3 could get showed that all Jokerz were guarding the front. A GCPD team will meet you once you've disabled security from the inside. Rendezvous with the other three and clear it out. Punchline escaped custody and will be in there." Damian ordered. Steph saluted him and clicked her sticks back into a full staff. It was her way of saying she meant business.

"Batwoman, Question and Batgirl, I want you all to work as a team to chew through the hot spots in the city. You three are a formidable force, I expect you'll all be fine." Damian braved a smile. He was met by a scowl from Kate, that made him shiver.

"You want Batgirl to babysit us. Say it how it is Batman." Kate spat.

"Yes. Not because I think you're incompetent. But because I'd hate myself if anything happened to you two. You were retired. Batwoman and The Question do not regularly engage in heavy combat like this. I want to be sure everyone is safe." Damian paused. "There's been enough loss."

Tim noisily popped his gum bubble and chewed it back. "So what am I doing?"

Damian sighed. "I hate to do this. But you have the most dangerous job, because I think you're the only one who can do it the most efficiently." Everyone shrugged confusedly and waited for the task. "I need you to get Oracle out of the GCPD and into the clocktower. We need her to get the computer back and coordinate with Penny 3."

"I can do it." Tim admitted while grimacing. "But you won't like how. So I'm not telling you."

Damian gritted his teeth and took a breath. As much as he didn't like being kept in the dark, he was desperate.

"What are you going to do Batman?" Nightwing chirped. His joyous tone grated the other bats. But Dick Grayson never failed to smile through a bad situation.

"I'm going to face down the Joker at Ace Chemicals and end this." Damian shifted on his feet. "I just want this to end. I'm done playing around."

"So am I." Harley shouted. "That's why I'm coming with and I'm gonna kill him."

"No." Damian dismissed her. 

"Why the fuck not? It's the reason I came here. I got roped into this last time and this time they made it personal. I'm tired of clowns, I'm tired of the Joker, I'm tired Batman. I want to settle down with Pammy and not have to deal with this shit. Punchable came into my home, slit my throat. They drugged and beat Pam to a pulp. When do I get to leave this all behind?" Harley seemed to be on the brink of tears as she spoke. 

"Listen-" Tim started. 

"No one asked for your opinion duck boy." Harley thundered. 

"Duck boy?" Tim wondered aloud. His fatigued brain was failing him more than he cared to admit. He thought for a moment then figured out her insult. "Oh yeah. Y'know ducks, my name." He nudged Jason, who rolled his eyes. 

"We don't have time for this." Batwoman stepped in. 

"Damn right we don't." Jason stepped to the roof and shot into the air. The incoming missile detonated a block over. "We've been made."

"Everyone go, let's go." Duke demanded. He ferried his team off the roof and dived off after them.

Tim yanked Damian down and kissed him hard. He made sure Damian knew he loved him before he pulled his stunt. "I'll see you on the other side." Tim said as they jumped together. They split up and headed in opposite directions ready for the final push. 

* * *

Tim dropped into the clock tower and powered up the computer ready for Barbara. It was still locked out but he needed it ready. 

In the time he'd spent gliding from a few blocks away, the city around them had escalated from a lull in the chaos to all out war. The sounds of rallying cries, explosions and gunfire deafened Tim and rattled the hands of the clock. 

He went to the tower's lab and held his palm to the scanner. He followed up with an eye scan and typed in his personal security code. The doors slid open and let him into his playground. Various toys and gadgets were strewn around his station, a stark contrast to Duke and Barbara's desks. He opened his safe and took out the delicate tech he needed to liberate Barbara.

A personal active camouflage generator and his most dangerous possession. The camouflage generator was something Tim had been tinkering with for years, he and Bruce spent hours of their free time getting it to work. What they did manage to get fully operational was built into Duke's suit, but had to be aided by his powers to be effective. The money they'd poured into it didn't make it worth their money to implement across all bats. 

The other device was Tim's best kept secret, he didn't dare tell Damian about it, and had been lying to Bruce for months. Tim had devised a way to teleport himself by commandeering the Watchtower's zeta beams. He estimated he had enough charge for 5 journeys, maybe 3 if he was carrying Barbara too. Even after the hours of work he'd put into it, he still hadn't tested it on a human. He used teddy bears and other inanimate objects. Out of his 50 tests, 4 items had vanished. 

_I really don't wanna be the 5th item. Or Babs._ Tim thought.

He strapped the camo tech to his suit and carefully plugged the teleporter into his gauntlet. 

He briefly thought about making a last video for Damian and the family in case he didn't make it, but Tim knew that in his tired, delirious state, he'd babble on for hours.

He stood opposite the computer and took a deep breath. 

"8/100 chance." Tim said. "4/50 chance. 2/25. I could die and not even know where I end up." Tim stuttered. He had pulled this stunt before. When he broke Jason out of prison he used the same method.

_But that was guaranteed. No variables, no risk. Jason didn't have the beam strapped into his arm._

"Oh fuck it." Tim punched the teleport button on his arm. In a blink, he was in the dark GCPD corridor. He didn't have time to celebrate his survival, he activated the camo tech and clung to the shadows as he slipped into the back of the precinct. 

Tim knew he couldn't risk teleporting straight into Barbara's office. It was too enclosed, and with too many electrics. He also didn't know whether she'd be alone or not. 

He held his breath as an officer rushed past him. To Tim's relief, their gaze didn't even flicker in his direction. 

He mentally recalled the GCPD floor map until he rounded the corner and was faced with Jim Gordon. 

"I was just checking on you Barb." Jim said exhaustedly. 

"I know dad, This is the 5th time. You come and look at the same stats and ask the same questions." Barbara chuckled. 

"Well I won't be back in half an hour like last time. Apparently the bats are making a push. Signal is leading the charge into Tricorner." The commissioner said with a spark of pride. "Love you Barb."

He hobbled away down the corridor. He stopped abruptly and gazed back in Tim's direction. He steeled himself and did his best statue impersonation. Until Jim, after an excruciatingly long time, decided that it was nothing to worry about. 

Tim ducked into Oracle's office and gasped for breath. 

"Who's there." Barbara spun round and held her tonfas ready.

"Babs it's me." Tim said breathlessly. 

"Show yourself." She demanded. 

Tim scoffed at his own stupidity. He deactivated the camo tech. "Surprise." He cheered. 

"Tim!" Barbara put her tonfas back under the desk and wheeled over to give him a hug. "Man is it good to see one of you."

"I'm here to get you to the clock tower."

Barbara screwed up her face and crossed her arms. "For a genius you sure are dumb. How do you expect me to leave without being seen? I can't use the camo because I know you only have one. I'd be too slow anyway." 

"I used the transporter." Tim squeaked. 

Barbara punched his arm, rendering it numb instantly. "You haven't tested it on humans yet! You could've died."

"I know, I know. But we need you Babs. We haven't got the computer, I'm sure you've been trying on these relics but if I can get you to the clock tower then you could save Gotham." Tim pleaded. 

"Damn it Tim. How the fuck am I mean to put up a fight when you word it like that?" She huffed. "I'm guessing the wheelchair can't come too?" 

"No. Is there somewhere we can hide it here, so if someone pops their head in it looks like you're in the break room or something?" Tim asked while scratching his neck. 

"Yep. Collapse it and slip it behind the shelves there." Tim lifted Barbara out of the chair and slid it behind the shelves as instructed. He picked Barbara up and took a deep breath again.

"Ready?" Tim asked nervously. 

"Nope. Shitting myself. What were the chances we would disappear again?" She asked. 

Tim hit the button and took them back to the tower. "8/100" He breathed. He helped her into the chair and slid into the leather swivel chair next to her. "Penny 3 can you hear me?" 

"Loud and clear." Bruce said over the comms. 

"Oracle is on the tower. She's starting the hack now. Can you brute force it from your end? Do not stop trying to get in, now that Lucius isn't helping to keep us out, it's vulnerable. Oracle will do the bulk of the work all we need to do is keep the system busy. Remember the computer is like Brother Eye, it will fight us." Tim ordered. 

"Starting now." Bruce trailed off and grumbled down the comms. 

Tim was always amazed at Barbara's genius. He knew she meant business by the way her face scrunched up. He'd seen it only a handful of times, in the worst situations, but it never stopped being amusing. Dick had likened it to a pug with a chew toy once. He received the hardest fist in his groin as punishment, followed by all his embarrassing photos being aired on his public social media. Tim thought Barbara was too soft on him. 

"I'm in." Barbara shouted. "Penny 3, shut it down now and reboot." 

After various grunts and mumbles of disappointment, Bruce popped back into the chair and cracked his knuckles. "We're good here Oracle, have you got control back?" 

"Yeah I'm fully up and running. Run a scan in the background then activate the Batfall protocol. Every bat vehicle needs to be put in mothballs. Shut them all down Penny 3."

"Tim." She barked. Tim looked back and waited on his orders. "Bring up every CCTV, traffic camera and cell data we can get. I want eyes everywhere. We're going to pin down every clown in this city, put it all up on the holograms." 

Tim pulled up every camera feed in the city and displayed it up on the holograms.

"I'm overriding Police dispatch, start directing them to high clown density areas." Barbara ordered. Tim tapped the holograms and assigned units remotely to all the street corners and camps where the danger was the highest. 

"Gotham City. This is Oracle." Oracle spoke into her desk microphone. "Stay inside citizens, lock your doors. I'm hacking the emergency broadcast frequency to message all of you a tip line. If you are in danger, reach out to us. The Batsignal isn't in the sky tonight, but bats don't need light to see. Block by block we're taking back the city." She turned off the mic and swiveled to help Tim survey the city. 

"You're the best Babs. That right there is why I love working with you." Tim couldn't help but grin. 

"That line about the bats gave me chills Oracle." Nightwing's voice came over the speakers. 

Tim and Barbara shared a look. 

"That's adjusting to spandex in the night air." Barbara scoffed. 

"It's not spandex." Dick said with false innocence. 

"I know what everyone's costumes are made of, don't push it. I'll tell everyone what percent elastane the og Nightwing costume was." Barbara tapped her nose at Tim and forced a chuckle from him. 

"It's just good to hear your voice in my ear again." Dick said over the scream of the clown. 

"It's horrible to see you in costume again. The clown behind you has a gun." She informed him. 

"I saw him." Dick tried. 

"No you didn't." Tim and Barbara said in unison. 

"We're getting to the thick of it here O. Can Red assist?" 

Barbara pointed Tim to the roof hatch. "He's on his way."

* * *

Damian flew down and looked up at billowing green smoke. He always thought this entire building was tainted and wrong. It was a blemish in Gotham that nothing but pain had come from. 

A bullet zipped into the ground near his foot. He spun round and sighed at Harley. Determination was etched into every line and smear of makeup on her face. 

"It's time to end this shit, kid." She held the gun steady. 

"Harley you know this can't happen." Damian pleaded. "I can't let you kill him."

"This is only gonna get worse. There's no asylum to keep him in. Only the old one that any old Killer Moth could break out of. He'll get out and do worse." Harley marched forward and kept the gun trained at his head. 

"I can't."

"Listen Damian. I get you're a changed man. I get that you don't kill. That's why it doesn't have to be you. I'm offering to just end this now. Just let me end it, no more Joker, no more Harley Quinn or Punchlines. Let me end this." She dropped the gun to her side. "It doesn't have to be you."

"Harley."

"If you're gonna stop me, then make sure I can't get up. I need to do this, it needs to end. I won't stop." She closed her eyes and waited. Damian knew this would've gone round in circles, so he left. He had to leave her, because in truth, he was considering it. All he needed to do was stand back and let her take the shot. But he knew he'd be just as bad. 

He pushed the door open and walked among the vats. The air was thick with chemicals. The vile smell churned Damian's stomach. He clinged to the shadows, the heat of the bubbling vats seared his back and made him sweat, but he had to use all his training. His opponent's unpredictability was the greatest threat. Damian was reaching far into his skillset to keep the battle on his terms. 

Damian hated having to give himself away, but after minutes of searching, the Joker was nowhere to be seen. "Give it up Joker." He taunted. "We're getting the city back. You've lost. Whatever you're going to do, do it. Because I'm ready for you."

"Haha. I promise you Damian you're not ready for this." The Joker replied. 

Damian tracked his voice and grappled up the balcony. 

The Joker wore the blue and silver Batsuit. He had ruined the once gleaming panels with painted smiles and 'haha' messages. He poured a cup of tea and offered it to the decayed corpse sitting next to him.

"I hear that Jeeves here made an awesome cup of tea." The Joker giggled. "Want to join me and your lovely Alfred, Damian?"

For the first time in years, Damian's vision clouded over with anger.

* * *

"O, there's someone at the gate who needs help. Can you handle everything? I'm going to have to help them. Jokerz are riding up near this way." Bruce said urgently.

"Go Penny 3. I've got it from here. Punchline is down, she's not escaping again. Nightwing and the others are spreading out through the city. Red Robin is on his way to help Batman." Barbara answered. She brought up Tim's location and tapped into his comms.

"Red, I need you to stop. I need you to clear Coventry. You're the closest." She said, knowing he wasn't going to change his mind.

"Oracle be honest with me. Where do you think I'm needed most?" Tim sighed.

Barbara chewed her lip. "The police really need an assist. I'd ask Signal but he's already occupied in Chinatown."

"I'll go. But tell Batman that I'm coming as soon as I can."

* * *

Damian speared the Joker off the balcony and plummeted them down into the floor below. He snatched the gun from his hands and threw it across the space. "Why?" Damian screamed. He barely dodged the scrape of the Joker's suit's fins and fell back against a vat.

"It's funny, Damian." The Joker insisted. "It's fascinating how many toys you fit in these gadgets. Look." He threw a batarang into the vat beside Batman's head. Damian scrambled away from the explosion, not before getting doused with the acidic mix. It singed through his cape and sizzled on his back.

Damian ran away. He needed to be on better ground, not standing in a mess that dissolves his boots. "Oracle, come in. I need backup." He received nothing but static.

"You can't be cheating like that. This is like a date. Just the two of us." Joker cackled. "It's a good thing this suit has a communications blocker." He scraped his glove over the bubbled flesh on Damian's back and shook the skin and blood from his hand while Damian was screaming on the floor. "Wouldn't want your family interrupting. Or that stupid boyfriend of yours. He holds you back. Bruce would be out every night, wouldn't he? You skip your duties to cuddle in bed with... Him."

"Shut. Up!" Damian coughed.

"It's the costume isn't it. I look as stupid as you d-" Joker was cut off by Damian's fist.

"I said shut up!" Damian screamed. He fought back with renewed energy. He focused each hit on where he knew the suits batteries would be: reinforced compartments in hard to reach places. He could feel his knuckles cracking on each punch. It wasn't enough. In a last ditch effort he killed the lights in the building ducked away.

"That's a cheap trick, Dames. You of all people should know that bats can see in the dark." His lenses glowed orange as he scouted the room.

"You're not a bat." Damian whispered. He jumped and kicked his head with such force that the cowl shattered off his head.

Joker nursed his head and shrugged. "Guess we'll try it this way." He pulled a detonator from the belt and clicked the button down. The building blew and ruptured around them, chemicals spewed onto the floor bubbled in the fires that quickly consumed the building.

"You've lost Joker. Stop fighting. The war is over." Damian huffed.

"The war is indeed over." The Joker sliced across Damian's back. "You missed it, we're in the aftermath." The joker stripped off the broken pieces of the suit, leaving him with the utility belt and gauntlets. "When did you think you could stop being the dark knight? This shiny suit, riding around the shiny city. You could rescue one kid from being run over then go and sit by the fire with Timmy boy."

Damian lunged but was met with a knife in the shoulder. He collapsed to the floor and yanked the blade out. Blood spilled onto the ground below him and soaked the arm of his suit.

"Gotham isn't a shiny place. You aren't Superman. This angry, hungry city doesn't want you." Joker spat. Damian spun and rammed his boot into the Joker's chest, putting some distance between them.

"You didn't save people tonight. You should've stopped this. You're not even close to your dad's level. He did this shit every week." The Joker picked himself off the ground and chuckled. "Batman was his dream, you're a poor lost boy wearing a costume that isn't his."

Just as the Joker pulled his arm back to deal a fatal blow. A shot rang out above the crackling fire. The bullet skimmed his eye and blew his eyeball out into the air. He fell with a spray of blood and clutched at his soaked face.

Harley quickly cuffed him to the support pillar and trained the gun on his head while she unpacked her bag.

"You're gonna have to make a decision Damian. These bombs I'm strapping to us, they're the real deal. You're gonna choose." Harley's voice was defeated and resigned to death.

Damian felt a similar feeling of defeat. He'd lost a fight to a man who'd had decades less training. The city was ruined. He'd failed at the one job he'd taken so seriously. "Harley, the family are on their way. Don't do this."

"You choose one of us Batman. It's time for the story to end. It's time for you to choose a better Gotham or one where he can rule with terror." Harley broke out into a run further into the factory.

"I gotta admit, even with our date ruined, this turned out well. Get me out of these cuffs." Joker smiled victoriously. He was so confident, Damian wrinkled his nose in disgust and fought with his logic. 

"You have the utility belt on. Back compartment is the lock pick. Once the cuffs are off use the freeze tech on the bomb." Damian started to walk after Harley, satisfied that he'd made the right choice.

"You can't leave me!" Joker stuttered, his face was a picture of shock and disbelief. "What about the butler?"

Damian took a glance up at the balcony, where the flames had begun to lick up to the corpse. "I buried him a long time ago. He'd want me to be safe."


	69. Collateral Damage - Terry

Terry ducked behind a corner and held his breath.

 _Jokerz? All the way out here?_ He wondered. 

They started to smash the windows in on the shops and chuckle maniacally between them. The owner came out and tried to push them away. It was a futile attempt.

"Take whatever you want. Don't hurt me or my kids." The owner whimpered. Terry peeked beyond the wall and saw a young boy and girl huddled in the shop.

_I have to help. Screw mom's supplies._

He dropped the bags he'd volunteered to get for his mom and the family friend they were staying with in Gotham Heights.

"Hey." Terry called. He threw the clown off the shop owner, the burst of strength came from nowhere. "Hands off dreg."

The clowns laughed at him. They pointed and chuckled between themselves. It stoked Terry's already growing anger.

"Let's show the kid who runs Gotham now." Their ringleader jeered. They came at Terry too quickly for him to handle. He stumbled back and luckily dodged the fist flying towards his face.

 _Come on Terry._ He urged himself. _Remember what you learned about fighting. Gotta be like riding a bike._

The next clown came slower, his grin was spread wide while he cracked his knuckles. Terry slammed his shin into the side of his knee, making the clown crumple in pain. Terry drove his palm up under the clown's jaw and used his small victory as a chance to escape.

He hopped onto one of the clown's bikes and took off.

 _Thank god this still had the keys in. God I hope I still remember how to ride a motorbike properly._ He thought as he rode up the bends of Gotham Heights. The days spent riding around on his older ex-friend's bikes was not forgotten. 

He glanced back and saw the Jokerz getting smaller, but still chasing him with a hateful determination. He pressed on until he found a secluded spot off the road. Terry fumbled with his phone and clicked repeatedly on his mom's contact.

"Terry where are you, you only went on a minute walk out to get the essential-"

"Mom there's no time." Terry interrupted. "I'm being chased by Jokerz."

"What! Terry I'll call the police." Mary screamed.

"No mom, they won't come. Look at what's happening. I'm going to Wayne Manor. The place is a fortress."

"You call me when you get there okay? And stay there until you know it's safe. I don't like it but I know I can't count on the police tonight." Mary commanded. Terry's bones shook at her tone.

"I will mom, I promise. I gotta go, I can hear them getting closer." He shut her off and sped off again up the roads, he followed all the signs until the palace-come-house came into view.

He rattled the gates and buzzed the panel in tandem. "Help!" Terry called. "Damian! Tim! Someone help!"

The Jokerz pulled up and revved their engines mockingly at Terry. He backed away until the clowns made a circle around him, blocking him from the gate.

 _Should've tried to climb it._ Terry huffed internally.

"Let's put a smile on his face." A large clown chuckled. The blade he was holding shined in the moonlight and made Terry's heart stop in fear.

"Leave him alone." A deep rumble came from behind the pack. "And get off my property."

The Jokerz parted and stared back at the voice. Bruce stood leaning on his cane, his scowl burned any who bore witness to it. Terry saw his lips curl up in disgust at the sight of their painted faces and bright colours.

"We're the Jokerz, old man. We're kinda the ruling authority in this town." The ringleader announced. He got into Bruce's face and grinned victoriously.

"Sure you are." Bruce barked a laugh. The clown pulled his fist back and swung. Bruce dodged and brought his cane up into the clown's stomach. He whipped it round and cracked it off the man's back in a fluid, minimal motion.

The other Jokerz came to their leader's aid and picked him off the ground. They all lunged at Bruce, who danced around their blows with grace and lightness that should not have come from a man in his 50s.

He blocked and redirected their hits, never making his own. By the time he had churned through 4 clowns, Terry had barely handled one.

Terry held the clowns hands back and gritted his teeth. The knife pointed inches from his face and was edging closer as he lost his strength. The clown's eyes rolled and closed, he slumped down next to Terry. Thanks to Bruce striking him across the skull.

Terry scrambled up and dusted himself off. "Man, you're like the dude from Karate Kid. I've never-" Terry broke off when he saw Bruce clutching his chest and gripping the gate for balance. "Mr Wayne!"

"My medicine." Bruce said between heavy, laboured breaths. "The house."

Terry helped him walk up the driveway. The thought dawned on him that he had just seen the original Batman in action.

He jumped suddenly at a vicious bark. Bruce tapped his cane and shook his head. "Back off Rocky. He's okay." The dog seemed to let them pass, like a canine gatekeeper.

* * *

"Pills were just where you said Mr Wayne." Terry chirped. He stepped over debris and what he hoped wasn't a blood stain to hand Bruce his pills and water.

"Thank you." Bruce swallowed the pills and eased himself back into the sofa. "I haven't done that in a while. Now I remember why. You should always take self defense classes."

Terry smiled at the lie to cover gso former identity. "I suppose you'll wanna rest a bit." Terry scratched his head. "I'll leave you and give my mom a call if that's okay?"

"The phone is over by the clock." Bruce waved drowsily and closed his eyes.

Terry dialed his mom's number and held the phone to his ear. A long time played before an automated message.

_Voicemail. I bet she called the cops._

Terry opened his mouth to speak but saw Bruce dozing off to sleep. He took the glass of water back to the kitchen and rinsed it out. Terry thought he heard a muted squeaking but brushed it off as an old house. Guiltily, he rummaged through the fridge and pantry to grab the supplies he'd ditched. To his luck, the pantry was stocked with 5 of everything and there was enough milk in the fridge to fill a bathtub. He would've picked up toilet paper too, but that would've been overstepping the mark.

When he passed through the living room again, the squeaking noise intensified. A shadow moved in the corner of his eye.

_A bat stuck in a clock. A bat. Jeez the irony. How does a bat get in a clock anyway?_

He found a place to hold the clock where it wasn't broken or splintered and slid it across the floor. The bat screeched and flew down a dark passageway. Curiosity took hold of him, with a final glance to be sure Bruce was asleep he bounced down the steps that opened up into the giant cavern. Lights flickered on automatically; Terry's eyes glowed brighter.

_No fucking way._

He stared in awe at the array of vehicles on the platform below and on the racks above. He raced down into the training area and traced his hands over all the weapons and training dummies. A long buzz echoed through the cave, disturbing the bats hanging from the ceiling. Terry ran up the steps and gazed up at the giant computer screens.

The light pulsed on the screen in the Bowery. The alert read: 'Ace Chemicals exploded. Damage critical. Batman sighted leaving with Harley Quinn.'

"Damian." Terry muttered. He looked over at the small markers on the map. Red Hood, Signal, Batgirl, everyone. All moving throughout the city, eliminating the red lights from the map.

 _They did it._ Terry thought. _They won._

Terry wandered through the rest of the cave. He took in all the wonders of the armoury, and of the half made costumes left by the most futuristic sewing machine he'd ever seen. He didn't dare pick up the set of gleaming silver handguns that lay beckoning to him on a bench. He came across a giant set of doors embedded into the cave wall with a sign attached.

"Do not enter. Damian's project." Terry read aloud. He pushed the doors open with a shrug and walked inside.

_I'm already grossly overstepping the line of privacy, might as well go further._

He gasped at the walls with awe. History was laid out before him, he could reach out and touch it. A gold sign shined in the light as he bumbled past. 

**'Jason Todd - A Good Soldier'**

Terry walked further down the stretch of cave and settled his gaze on a well decked-out uniform, with custom gadgets and weapons displayed with the ensemble.

* * *

Terry checked Bruce one last time before pinching a rucksack from the cloakroom and shoving his stuff inside. He walked cheerily down the driveway and past the scene where the Jokerz had cleared off. He pulled out his phone and dialed his mom.

"Terry are you okay? Are you coming back?" Mary panicked.

"Yeah mom. I'm on my way." A grin spread across his face, perhaps the first since the morning at the plaza. "I'm fine. I'm safe. I'll be there soon."


	70. Tears

"Guys the signal is up." Jason said over the comms. Damian looked into the sky and saw the bat shining clearly on the smoke filled sky.

"Batman it's nearly daytime." Tim said. He pushed the clowns he'd cuffed towards the police van. "Go and see the commissioner."

Damian grappled the short distance onto the GCPD roof. The air was clearing as day broke, the smoke still billowed into the clouds, but small rays of light cut through them on the horizon. 

_Something isn't right._ He thought.

He inspected the signal and looked for tampering. There was nothing obvious. He peeked over at the roof access door. Nothing. There was a feeling Damian couldn't describe, it was too quiet. There were no smoking cigarette butts on the ground. 

"Commissioner." Damian called, he kept his voice level and guarded.

"I was wondering when you'd get here. I have a present for you." His shrill, grating voice chilled Damian's bones. He spun and saw the Joker holding a knife to Jim's neck.

"Let him go." Damian warned. He mashed the alert button on his arm, but the signal light wouldn't turn on. He looked and saw no way of getting to Jim in time. He couldn't use a batarang, nor could he run the length of the roof before the Joker made his move. He had to humor him. 

"Ah ah ah. Signal blocker remember." Joker chuckled. "You did leave the utility belt when you left me to die." He cackled painfully and licked up the blood that started to leak from his missing eye. He stayed hidden behind Jim, out of the line of fire. "I hate you. I understand it now though. I love you so much that I hate you. So I'm going to leave you with a final fuck you. So you'll know how serious I am." He chuckled. "I'll be seeing you soon Batman." He plunged the knife up into Jim's rib cage. He stabbed again and again then jumped off the roof.

"No!" Damian screamed. He caught Jim as he fell and watched the Joker use a grappling line to fly away over the city. He held his hands in the wounds that spewed blood and tried to slow his bleeding. "I'll get help. I'll get an evac, it's okay." Damian stuttered. 

"Kid. We both know it's too late." Jim laughed bitterly. 

Damian took a deep breath and pulled back his cowl. Jim's eyes widened for a moment, what he knew was simply confirmed. "It's not your fault kid. You're a good man, you're just like your dad: an inspiration and one hell of a friend." He coughed. "If only I could breath, I'd have one last cigarette. Can you- Can you use my phone and call my daughter please."

Damian tapped his gauntlet and saw his signal was back up and running once the Joker was out of range. "Oracle. Switch to a private line. Someone needs to talk to you."

"Batman, what is it." A beep signalled the line switch. Damian took the commlink from his ear and placed it into the commissioner's.

"Batman." Barbara called.

"Barb." Jim said feebly.

"Dad. What the hell. Why have you got Batman's comms." She demanded.

"The Joker got me, I'm bleeding real bad. Damian is keeping me alive, the second he lets go-" Jim trailed off and heaved in a laboured breath.

"No. Dad. I'll get help. Please hold on-"

"It's too late sweetie. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am. I knew you were Batgirl, Barb. From the first night you climbed out the window with Dick. And now I know you're Oracle. I'm meant to be a detective and you still hid that one from me." He coughed and swallowed back blood. "You saved the city tonight sweetie. You inspired Gotham. You work with the goddamn Justice League. I'm so proud of you."

Barbara sobbed. "Dad please hold on. Spoiler is minutes away."

"Just tell me one thing Barb. Was I a good dad? When we adopted you-" He sucked in a shallow breath. "We didn't know what we were doing. I did my best. I know I wasn't always there but I did try."

"You're the best dad I could've asked for. You're my hero dad." Barbara confessed.

"You don't ever stop being a good person, you hear me? Whether that's as Oracle or my Barbara Gordon." He warned. "You do so much good at that computer of your's. You've always been a good girl. Even when you worried me sick putting that cowl on." Jim choked on his breath. "I love you Barbara. Don't ever s- Don't ever stop." 

His head lolled and fell back. The light faded from his eyes. Damian felt useless, his hands were soaked in the blood of the mentor he couldn't save. He retrieved his comms from the man's ear and replaced it on his own. Barbara's sobs tore into his soul, what could he say?

"Barbara, I-"

"I know Damian." She hiccuped. "Please don't leave him."

Damian felt hot tears burn lines down his own face. "I'll take him inside. I promise I'll look after him."

He pulled his cowl over and hauled the man up in his arms. He walked past the various bodies of men who fought to stop the Joker. He hung his head in shame. Eyes turned on him as he walked into the main floor offices. Uniformed officers took their hats off and bowed their heads. Harvey fell to the floor and broke down completely. Some officers cleared their desks off and put them together, Damian laid the commissioner on the makeshift table and draped his tattered cape over the man.

Officers noticed the tears streaking Damian's face beneath the cowl. Hands patted his shoulder as a condolence. The pain in the room was tangible, the entire process had been ground to a halt, every single officer paid their respects. 

* * *

Dick shouldered his bag and knocked on his house door. He felt empty, Jim had done a lot for him over the years. He made him feel welcome in his home when him and Barbara were together. He accepted him as Batman and was a solid supporter of him when so many had lost faith. Now he was gone.

Bea answered the door and tugged him into an embrace. He couldn't fight back tears, they cascaded down into Bea's shoulder. She only held him tighter until they stopped.

She led him through the house and to the kitchen, a mug of coffee was shoved into his hands. Elainna shovelled cereal into her mouth and grinned at him. She was clueless about the night, as she should be.

Dick smiled back and felt the pain fade slowly. His ray of sunshine eased the pain. 

* * *

Bruce stared into the fire. He'd lost before. He'd lost a child, he'd lost friends, he'd lost enemies. 

But through it all he'd had a constant. His friend who was the unlikely support decades earlier when he'd first started as Batman. The friend who called him out when he was wrong. The friend who disagreed with him letting a teenager out in this dangerous city. The friend who trusted him to ensure his daughter's safety when she joined his crusade. The friend who never wavered.

His friend.

Bruce didn't have a picture, he had nothing tangible as a memory of him. His friend had to be preserved in his mind and heart. No one would ever know what he meant to Bruce. They couldn't. But Bruce could hold his memories dear and cherish them by himself.

Selena dropped her bags at the door and hugged Bruce from behind. She didn't say a word. He touched her arm and closed his eyes, a single tear escaped.

* * *

Jason clicked the frame shut and hung it above the bar. He had stripped everything from the wall to make this picture the focus. He hung it and walked round to the other side, where he could almost see David serving him.

'You feeling an old fashioned or shall I make you something a little more pink?' David would say, Jason would always go for pink. Only because he knew David preferred making a trickier cocktail.

He reached over and pulled the glasses to infront of him. He poured two and slid one over to the spot where a sizable dent was on his bartop. The spot where David would tap his metal spoon repeatedly before opening.

 _He didn't need to die._ Jason thought to himself. _He had too much going on. I have him a goddamn franchise to open in Blüdhaven. Now he's gone._

Jason stared into the eyes of the photo. They were crinkled up into a squint. He was smiling, with too many teeth and too much joy. Jason remembered the photo well, it was a group shot. Jason and his bar staff. He had hugged David in and kissed him. They had all been drinking and it was the end of a long new years shift. David had burst out laughing as Suzie hit the shutter.

Everyone else was cropped out, all that was visible was Jason's thumb on his shoulder.

 _David was different._ Jason admitted.

David was a normal guy, he was before Jason told him he was Red Hood and he was normal afterwards. He laughed with Jason. Went on a double date with Jay and Miguel with his girlfriend. Treated him like a normal guy and not a broken man who needed special attention.

"To you Dave." Jason raised his glass and downed it. He sniffed and dabbed his wet eyes.

* * *

Tim typed and retyped the message over and over. He'd gone through various drafts of condolences and support. No matter what he typed he could get out what he wanted to say to Barbara.

He wanted to go to the clock tower as soon as he heard the news. But Dick was already on his way. Tim didn't want to overwhelm her, and he did feel that Dick was the better presence to console her despite their history.

He tapped the frame of his phone and stared at Barbara's contact photo. It was early morning but he knew Babs wouldn't even attempt sleeping. He knew her well enough to know she'd be seething with anger. She wouldn't know where to aim it or what to do with it. He could try and call, but he might make her feel worse.

He flipped the phone over and shoved it away. He felt useless. He'd done his part in saving the city and now he was left with a best friend and boyfriend, both who he didn't know how to help.

Tim thought about the commissioner, he'd been trying not to but Jim's presence entered his mind and refused to leave.

Jim had put his faith in Tim like no one ever had before. Not even Bruce. Tim remembered the brightest, warmest smile Jim gave him when he first appeared with Batman at the signal. Despite his disagreement with teenage sidekicks, his smile said: 'So you're the reason the city is safer again, you're Batman's bright shining beacon.'

Jim had trusted him so much that he made a Robin signal to fly in the sky when Bruce died. Even though Tim asked to take it down and put the bat back in the sky, it was a symbol of trust and faith.

Tim didn't even realise he was crying until the droplets tickled his chin. Old feelings were clawing their way out again. Feelings of losing his own dad and how Barbara helped him. He knew how she was feeling. 

He picked up the phone and started typing from the heart.

* * *

Damian patted the ground down and let the shovel fall onto the leaves and mud. He fell with it, on his knees he touched the fresh ground delicately and took a moment to compose himself.

He was between the dig up grave of his grandfather and the fresh grave of his beloved pet. It took all the remaining strength he could muster to reposition the empty casket and repair the damage to the grave. By the time he got round to burying Titus a few feet over, he was nothing but a shell.

The harsh morning bite in the air nudged him into movement again. He could've been sat on the dirt for hours, his mind simply wouldn't work.

He sluggishly moved through the house. He perhaps thought he heard Bruce call out to him when he shifted the clock over, but he couldn't bear to talk.

The freezing cave air clawed at his broken skin. He tore pieces of the suit off and threw them down wherever he was in the cave. The sharp sting of hot water was welcome. It washed over his stitches and bubbled flesh, taking the dirt and blood of the night away.

Only after 10 minutes did he realise he still had the cowl piece on his head. He slid it off and turned the mask over in his hands. The whiteouts stared back at him; he could see his own eyes in them.

He felt something turn in his stomach, it was dark and shrouded in a red cloak of hate. It grew and clawed its way up Damian's throat like fire.

He unleashed it with a pained scream. He held the mask in his fist and pummeled the wall with it. The ears tore the tiles away from the wall and blasted Damian's body with shards and splinters. He slammed his and again, and again. He tore the cubicle apart until there was nothing but water and ceramic dust.

He fell into the corner and released the reservoir of tears he'd been holding back. He wailed and curled up among the tile and blood.

He sobbed and hiccuped as took his broken hand from the mask. Though it was shredded and beaten it still had enough integrity to carry on. Batman didn't get to cry in the shower and scream his pain. Batman had to carry on.

* * *

Tim tried a small smile as Damian walked to the bed. "Hey."

Damian tried a smile back, all he could summon up was a pathetic lift at the corner of his mouth. He was freezing cold, the shorts and baggy t shirt might as well not have been on him. He slumped down onto the duvet and picked at a thread.

Rocky hobbled in and looked up at Damian. He rested his paw on Damian's knee. Damian's tired brain imagined it was Rocky's way of consoling him over their loss. 

Damian broke once again, he pressed his palms into his eyes and shuddered. Waves of pain crashed through him yet again. Tim's arm appeared around him and hugged him close to his chest. He laid them both back onto the bed and draped the duvet over them. Even though it was 8am in the morning, they both needed to sleep.

* * *

Terry returned from the lavatory to go back to bed. Or rather the sofa that he was occupying. Even though the city had been saved, his mom hadn't allowed him to go back to his own apartment. 

The thought of returning churned his stomach, but his life was there. Not is this hollow shell. He loved his mom's apartment, she had a great eye for interior design, but it was missing Matt.

He wasn't running around the room being an idiot, or insulting Terry childishly. He wasn't playing hairdresser with his mom and clipping her hair into a mess.

He saw the door ajar and peaked his head inside. Mary was passed out on Matt's bed, clutching the pyjamas he'd laid out that terrible morning. Mascara dried out over her face, spread there from the tears. Terry picked up the blanket and pushed it over her.

He caught sight of the frame on the wall and touched it with a shaking hand.

Matt was sitting on Terry's lap, only 2 years old. Terry remembered his brother's breathy giggle that made him fall into fits of laughter anytime he heard it.

Terry rested his head on the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. The moment of clarity forced him to realise he'd never get an insult from Matt again. He'd never hear his laugh again. He'd never frown at his dad for fussing over his moustache or help him iron his suit for work the next day.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he marched to the living room and tore open his backpack.

"Time to do my part. Help someone." He pulled the clothes out and shrugged them on. He tightened the laces at his chest and secured them in the clips. "Just one person. If I can stop someone feeling like this then I've won." He wiggled into the boots and adjusted his belt. "I can do this for Matt. I can do this for dad. I can do this shit."

He wiped the tears from his eyes and waved them dry. "This is who I am now. The best Terry I can be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so that's the end of the Joker war adaptation. I do admit, it wasn't my intention to adapt the story. I was originally going to play out the key events over different scenarios, but as joker war came out I realised that it would allow me to get all of these ideas into one story arc.
> 
> The idea for Jim to die was one I had at the very start of this story. His death won't be meaningless, in fact it'll have a giant impact on my Gotham. 
> 
> The status quo going forward is going to be very different. And I get to show Tim and Damian's relationship through a new main character's eyes. He'll definitely be sticking around.


	71. Loose Ends and New Starts

"Howdya get past Mandy?" Harley croaked. 

Her throat was sore and her head pounded. After Damian tore the bomb off her, he threw it, knowing he only had seconds. The blast threw them across the street. Luckily Damian's cowl protected him, Harley wasn't so lucky. She fractured her skull and tore the staples from her neck.

"I had to fight her." Damian chuckled. "I casually reminded her that I have the full force of the League of Assassins at my disposal. She backed off, I think father was always too lenient with her."

"She's an ass." Harley sat herself up and gazed out into the city. "How long has it been? I've been in and outa sleep for ages."

"It's been a week and a half. You've missed a lot." Damian sat down in the chair next to her bed and followed her eyeline out into the skyscrapers.

"Catch me up. Quick fire. 30 seconds. Go." Harley clicked her fingers and chuckled.

"The cleanup started. Wayne Enterprises took the destruction as a chance to accelerate our project. I made a speech on it like last time. You should watch it on YouTube." Damian waved his hand as he spoke. "The commissioner's funeral went off smoothly. He had the full works, a procession through the city, gun salute. Everything he deserved."

"Jimmy's dead?" Harley gasped. "What? How?"

"Who do you think?" Damian frowned.

Harley tutted and reached for her cup of jello. "That man did more for us criminals that anyone will ever know. I know we didn't get along but that man gave us fair trial and dignity. Gotham didn't used to be like that. He was different."

Damian smiled warmly at her admission. "I wanted to invite you to my mine and Timothy's wedding. Ms Isley too." Harley froze and sucked the jello from her spoon. "There would be a fair amount of heroes there but you have done a lot for me. I'll even employ Pamela to be my florist."

"I am wherever the booze is so yeah. But won't Mandy get all anal about it." Harley shrugged.

"She isn't an issue. I get what I want." Damian waved her off. He walked across the room and stood by the door, he paused and turned to her. "Don't ever come back here. Don't come back to Gotham."

Harley giggled. "Is that a threat?"

"No. It's me telling you to enjoy your life with Ms Isley and stay away from this life. You earned it. Do not come back here, ever." He walked out the door and shut it carefully behind him.

Harley picked up the tablet left on her bedside and opened YouTube out of curiosity. It didn't take her long to find the clip she was looking for, it had been watched millions of times already. She clicked it and blared the volume out.

She watched Damian stand to take the mic and clear his throat. He looked tired and perpetually sad.

"We all lost a great deal. We've lost family members, friends and heroes. I stood here and spoke words of a better Gotham. A Gotham where our people were united and thriving." Screen Damian looked up into the city. "Those words are still just as valid and true. In addition to funding 60% of the repairs to the city, we are also starting the work on our new city, right now. We will rise out of this crisis into a better city. The Asylum is being rebuilt as well as the old one being renovated for immediate use."

Harley scoffed at her screen. "He knows full well he'll be pulling double shifts until that thing is rebuilt."

"I personally volunteered for this speech. I felt it was my duty. The last speech I made was followed by the tragic death of many friends. Including a man I have worked close with for years. And his young boy who had his entire life in front of him. We all lost our greatest hero. Commissioner Gordon was and always will be Gotham's crown jewel. He was a good man, the best man who showed us time and time again just how much of a difference a good man can make." 

Damian swallowed back his emotions. "We will honour him by staying true to his morals, his code and his love for this city. He was the hero we needed but never truly deserved. Gotham is Jim Gordon." He nodded and rushed off the stage.

Harley paused the video and set her tablet aside. It was an odd mix of pride and amusement that filled her up. "Just like ya dad. Keep it up."

* * *

"Here you go Harvey." Tim chirped. He shoved the Riddler into the van and slammed the doors shut personally. "Nabbed him before he could start any schemes."

"That's one down. Only another 30 something to go." Harvey muttered. His eyes were heavy with bags and thought Tim didn't admit it, he stunk like he hadn't washed in days. "I'll radio through to the guys at the old asylum and get them to prep his cell."

"Why don't you take a break Harvey?" Tim offered.

Harvey took his hat off and leaned on the hood of his car. "I can't take a break, Red. Because if I do I'm failing Jim. What would he be doing if the entire asylum was running loose?"

Tim scoffed and shook his head. "He'd be on the roof of the GCPD telling Batman what to do." He laughed. "Maybe going toe to toe with them himself on the streets. Listen, Harv. Why don't you at least take a break now with me? I'll grab us a coffee from that cafe over the road and we can just take 5."

"You're paying." Harvey grumbled. He waved Tim off dramatically with the faintest smile.

Tim returned in a few minutes with lattes and croissants. He sat on the hood of the car and just talked. He talked about anything but the struggles they were facing. He asked about Harvey's cats and if he'd tried the latest organic cat food. Selena gave it 5* so Tim reasoned that it must've been good.

They parted when an alert of a Calendar Man sighting needed Tim's attention.

Tim knew that even if he'd lifted Harvey's spirits a tiny bit, then his time wasn't wasted. He knew first hand that when Kon died, all he needed was a friend to not treat him like china and act like a normal person around him.

"Yeah Penny 3, I'm on it." Tim sighed. "Calendar Man has his days numbered."

"Really Red?" Bruce cringed. "That's the joke you're going for?"

"Bite me Penny 3. It's been a long week and Nightwing used to do the jokes anyway."

* * *

Damian dropped down into the park and walked slowly up to the imposing figure sat on the bench. The trench coat strained at the seams, bulging and stretching against the scales below.

"Waylon." Damian greeted. Killer Croc looked up at him and pulled his face into what Damian thought was a smile. He sat on the bench next to the inmate.

"I was waiting for you to show up." Croc said quietly. "Don't worry I'll come quietly."

"Why here?" Damian asked.

"It's beautiful." Waylon answered. He waved his hand around the trees and stream. "It's peaceful."

"That it is." Damian took in the park for a moment. The stream trickled gently, the trees swayed in the breeze blowing the browning leaves away. The war had left the park mostly untouched, Damian counted it as a victory.

"I haven't hurt anyone Batman. I dug through the wreckage of the asylum to get the meds they put me on." He swiveled round to look Damian in the eye. "I promise I'm better, don't put me in the old asylum. I can't go back there."

"Waylon. I know how they used to treat you but it's different people running the facility now." Damian reasoned.

"I understand." Waylon hung his head and sighed.

Damian fought with himself, he knew of Waylon's progress in the new asylum, he knew the leaps and bounds he'd made to get better. "Do you promise me that you won't hurt anyone?"

"Yes." Croc said, his voice laced with hope. "I'm a changed man. I'm better. You knew Arsenal, I was his sponsor. I'm not a monster."

"Then I won't take you back to the asylum as an inmate, perhaps I could take you there to help others." Damian offered. "If you agreed to wear some sort of security measures, I could probably get you a job of sorts leading support groups."

"Would you do that for me? I won't let you down." Waylon's spirits lifted tenfold.

"I will do my very best. At the absolute least, I can try and get you a house arrest deal in a facility. But I know you can do more than that Waylon. I believe in change."

"Thank you Batman." Waylon held his hand out. Damian braced his scaly digits and shook them hard.

Batman successfully brokered a deal with the asylum director to let Croc have a proactive support role. The conditions were that he have a tracker implanted and wear bracelets armed with tranquillisers. Waylon agreed completely, he offered to aid in repairs or anywhere he was needed. Damian checked that the open cell he was staying in was up to humane conditions.

As he left the chilling building behind he opened his comms and hailed Penny 3.

"Do you think I made the right call father?"

Bruce grinned behind his screen. His heart swelled with pride. "You did a great job son."

* * *

Red Hood pushed the door open and adjusted his mask for night vision. Signal followed and assessed the history of the room. He bent light around himself and turned himself into a human glowstick. Jaosm turned off his night vision and cited under his breath. 

"Pyg was here." Duke stated. He squinted and focused more on the villain's movements. Duke watched the scene play out before his eyes. Dozens of masked soldiers had cut the lights and burst through the windows. "Guys attacked him. I can't tell who."

Jason picked up the bullet shell on the floor and held it up to his gaze. "Custom bullets. Probably untraceable but I'll bag it anyway."

"They were stealing something." Duke said over the room. "They made Pyg open this room."

Jason rallied up next to Duke and held his guns ready. They burst into the room and scouted for assailants. Duke covered his face and heaved. The smell of rotting flesh hung heavy in the air. Discarded pieces of unidentifiable flesh and bones were littered around the room. 

Jason leafed through the papers on the desk and wrinkled his nose in disgust. Pyg was drawing up his usual dollotrons but spliced with grotesque animal features. "Yeah I ain't leafing through this. Clear out Signal."

Duke happily complied. He ran from the room and heaved in the fresh air of the next room. Jason threw a drone into the air and let it laser scan the room. It wasn't Bruce's preferred method of Investigation. He claimed it missed details that a detective's eye wouldn't. But Jason couldn't bear the smell. The drone flew back into his hand allowing both boys to make a speedy escape.

* * *

Damian slammed the pictures down in front of Tim and grinned gleefully. This was the most excited he'd been since the crisis.

"We are having a pool built." Damian said through his grin. He puffed up and spread his hands.

Tim leaped up and leafed through the photos. His eyes glittered as he took in the designs. "No way."

"Yes indeed. I don't know why your father never got one. Drake Manor's garden is huge." Damian sat on the bench and started to pull his suit off. The workday had been long, Damian visited the contractors he needed for his and Tim's new home, but the brochure for the pool company was on the desk. Luckily they had a consultation slot open.

"He did want one. Mom always said it was tacky. We had to get the one you could take down." Tim shrugged.

"Well this is far from cheap. The design will fit perfectly with the house." Damian leaned over and kissed Tim's shoulder. "The company I'm using is reputable. But business has been a little slow. Everyone building our home is mostly employed from the Narrows and Coventry."

Tim turned and frowned at Damian. "Won't everyone realise that we're a thing if you're contracting workers on my old house."

"By that logic Duke is the 3rd component in our relationship. He's also been on the phones helping us. And Jason, he set us up with the plumber." Damian chuckled. "Everyone will find out when we get married anyway. Marriage certificates are a dead giveaway."

Tim groaned and stood. He stretched in the mirror and flexed his muscles lightly. "I'm dreading the interviews. They can wait until after the honeymoon or something. Did you get a florist yet?"

"Yes, Poison Ivy is doing it." Damian stated nonchalantly.

Tim stopped flexing and squinted at his fiancé. "Harley and Ivy are going to be at our wedding?"

"Yes."

"You didn't feel like discussing this with me?" Tim asked. The edge of his voice told Damian that he was annoyed.

"Did you discuss it with me when you put names on the guest list of people I don't know? Did you discuss it with me when you were developing life threatening tech that could've killed you?" Damian asked calmly. "I could go on but I'd be here all night. You do a lot without consulting me, don't get pissy when I do the same."

Tim pressed his lips in a line and stared down at Damian. Their eyes were locked in a battle of will, neither cracked or even dared blink. It was a familiar standoff. This was the edge of where they either descend into a huge blow up or let it go. Tim opted for the latter, he conceded by bending down to kiss his lover on the forehead.

"I don't want to fight." He muttered.

"Nor do I. I apologise for not including you." Damian pouted.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the transporter." Tim rubbed through Damian's hair softly, curling the strands around his fingers. "How about we go through the guest list? Together. It's our first night off Patrol in days."

"I thought we were scheduled for tonight?" Damian flicked through his phone and entered the secure rota. His and Tim's name were listed as off duty.

"It's calmed down a bit. The escapees we haven't captured have all gone underground. We did good. Two nights ago we got Croc and Riddler. Yesterday we got leads on Two Face." Tim added. He squished Damian's cheeks together. "Don't get all pouty because you can't be vengeance tonight."

"No no. Today I was going to be 'the night'. Tomorrow is vengeance." Damian giggled. He followed Tim to bed and got comfortable while Tim brought up the guest list on his laptop.

They combed through it discussing some of Tim's guests. Sadness struck when Damian realised that most of Tim's guests were Titans. No blood family. Jason, Cass, Dick and the other siblings were listed under Damian's guests. 

When reviewing the possible guests, Tim broke into many stories of how he met each person and what his relationship with them was. Both boys were glad to be jumping into the wedding planning again, after all the drama and work. 

"Who is Zachary? He's listed there under possible guests with a note saying: probably not." Damian asked. 

"Zachary Zatara. Y'know Zatanna's cousin." Tim waited for Damian to say something, but his face was simply blank. "He's really hot, I don't know how you haven't seen him."

"Timothy! We are planning a wedding here." Damian scolded. 

Tim waved him down. "He's hot because he looks like me. We did a switch once. I decided not to put him on the list because he's a bit stuck up." 

"No no. You can invite him." Damian wiggled his eyebrows and darted his tongue out. Tim smacked his leg and pouted. 

"You're an ass. If I died you'd have so many options. You and your stupid, beautiful face making everyone wanna fuck you." 

"So not if we broke up? You have to die in order for me to be free from your shackles?" 

Tim tapped the bedside table. "Shackles are in there Dami. Nothing's keeping you here. But I've ruined you. Try and find someone else to put up with your bullshit. Or fuck you like I can. Or-" Tim was cut off by Damian's lips. Hands held either side of his face delicately while their lips danced. 

"I love you." Damian whispered in a shaky, choked tone. "I don't want anyone else to put up with my bullshit." Tim pulled their foreheads apart and chewed his lips. "I'm sorry for being off with you this past week Timothy. I hate how I've been acting."

"I understand Dami. I understand grief, don't apologise." Tim closed his laptop down.

"I caught myself calling him for a walk earlier." Damian admitted. "It's stupid, I cried in the foyer for so long. I don't cry so often Tim, usually only over you. Why can't I stop crying Tim? It's every day, over the smallest things."

"Because you're not emotionally constipated like Bruce. You've been bombarded with shit and crying is just a way of releasing all the pent up emotion. Maybe you shouldn't only blubber over me." Tim's words forced a laugh from his fiancé. "Being stoic and hard faced doesn't work. Bruce learned that, I had to save him from it. We're emotional people Dami, we deal with things in one week that normal people don't even have to in a lifetime. Just cry Dami, we all need to sometimes."

"I don't deserve you." Damian brushed Tim's jaw. 

"Don't go crying on me right now." Tim chuckled. "I just changed the bedding, I don't want you wiping snot on them." 


	72. Don't Take It Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We follow Duke for the first half of this chapter! I've really been negelcting Duke even though he's one of my favourites.
> 
> It explores what I imagine his powers would be like years on from where he is in Canon. It was really fun. I do add in some artistic interpretation.

Duke sat up and wiped his face. His night off was spent working out. He had tried and failed to work out like Jason. The absurd weights and superhuman endurance wasn't his strong suit. Or even a regular suit of his. Now he spent his workouts training more like Tim. He trained within his body's boundaries, honing it to it's best.

Duke knew he cheated slightly. He could see the next moves coming most of the time, he could manipulate shadows to disorientate. Tim and the others had to fight for their lives, Duke had to think for his. But Bruce drummed it into him from the day his powers started to manifest: 'You cannot rely on them.'

He stood and admired himself in the gym mirrors. He kept himself toned and muscular, Duke always loved that he was blessed with a perfectly symmetrical set of abs. He gave himself a wink and flexed. He shuffled off to the showers and avoided the destroyed cubicle at the end. Everyone had decided by consensus that they were not going to mention it to Damian.

Duke tipped his head into the stream and smiled at the sting of heat. Rarely did he get the cave to himself to train, let alone shower and not have to desperately avoid Tim and Damian play fighting and forgetting their modesty.

"Not that I have any modesty. Not really a factor in this house is it?" Duke said aloud. He walked freely over to the cubicle opposite, uncaring of who would see and stole the good shower gel Damian left. It was ridiculously expensive, but made his skin feel soft afterwards.

After spending too long wrapped in his pocket of steam, he towel dried himself and moisturised. He slipped himself only into a pair of lounge pants he stole from Jason. The cave nipped at his exposed torso but in his relaxation, Duke tuned into his ghost vision automatically.

The images were faint and old. but he could see a figure moving around the cave. Like a child let loose in a toy store. They were touching things and exploring like they'd never been here before.

Duke deduced that they were not a harmful intruder. The wonder and curiosity they were exhibiting was too benign, too innocent. But it didn't make the situation any less harmful.

For a moment he thought he'd reached a new transcendent high with his ghost vision. He thought perhaps he was somehow seeing Dick, Jason or Tim experiencing the cave for the first time. But he knew the limits of his powers, and even the small infusions of Nth metal he'd been having for years wouldn't amplify his powers to that extent. In places where the area rarely changed or had much foot traffic, he could assess the light residue up to around a week. When he started to get use of his powers the limit would be minutes.

The residue increased the further back into the cave he investigated. The less travelled areas gave him a clearer picture. He saw now that the person he assumed was a teenage boy was too different from anyone they knew.

Duke cried out and held his temples. The pain shot through his head like a bullet. Using his powers to this extent for this long was taking a toll. His vision swirled and refocused as the pain slid away.

With the last of his energy he followed the figure to the higher platform, to Damian's secret room. It entered the room despite the sign Damian had insisted everyone adhere to.

Duke tuned out of his powers and breathed a sigh of relief. The swelling pressure behind his eyes quickly subsided. But he was left feeling exhausted. 

Despite his loyalty to Damian, and his respect for his brother's privacy, he also pushed the door open and explored Damian's secret. He instantly knew what the problem was. A display cabinet door was left open.

"Oh hell no!" Duke exclaimed. He held his head and fell into a panic. Exhaustion caught up with him, he had to brace the glass case just to stand. The mannequin was bare, the weapons cache empty. The entire display cabinet was cleaned out, except for the sign:

**Robin III**

* * *

"Signal?" Tim chirped. He hadn't expected Duke to be manning the computer tonight. Tim knew that Duke took his nights off very seriously. He planned meticulously and wasted no time.

"Tim." Duke huffed. His breathing was ragged and shallow. Each word was slurred and lacked energy. "Get back to the cave."

"Signal. Slow down, I need you to breathe for me. What's happened?" Tim flipped onto a roof and focused his full attention on Duke.

"You're the only one. The only one I could.." Duke's voice faltered. Tim heard a thud and felt his own heart rate soar.

"Duke! Duke, I'm on my way." 

* * *

Tim zoomed into the cave and grappled up to the computer. Duke was slumped against the desk unconscious. His chest rose and fell lightly, in shallow breaths.

Tim scanned over Duke's body with his glove and found his blood sugar level was critically low and he was severely dehydrated. He fetched Duke a glass of water, a can of Zesti and some glucose chews. 

"Duke." Tim shook him gently till he roused and placed the water against his lips. He swapped the water out for the Zesti when he was satisfied Duke was somewhat hydrated again. He forcefully shoved the glucose pills in his mouth and made him crunch them. After a few minutes Duke was looking a little better. His eyes would focus again and the blood returned to his face. Tim helped him into the computer chair and draped a blanket over him. "You'll freeze staying shirtless down here." Tim scolded.

"Sorry mom." Duke smiled faintly and sipped his drink. 

"What the hell were you doing? You were nearly at a diabetic coma levels." Tim scolded. 

"I did a workout, I was already tired. Then I started using my powers. Someone was in the cave Tim, they went into Damian's project room and stole your suit." Duke muttered. 

"What suit?" Tim started to comb back through security footage.

"Your Robin suit. The first one. Grapples, smoke pellets the whole works." Duke had never seen such worry on Tim's face. His lip was getting mutilated as he skimmed the footage. He decided to make himself useful and used the secondary screen to search for appearances of Robin. It didn't take him long to find whispers. "Tim, I've got a forum post from a week ago, saying they think they saw Robin. Another from 3 days ago says they saw Robin for the first time in years."

"Nope, nothing from a week ago." He frowned. He followed his gut and recalled what he heard Oracle mention: Someone needed Bruce's help at the gate. 

He scrolled back to the last night of the war and grinned victoriously. While the computer was still getting it's system fully online, none of the biometric readers were online. The cave didn't recognise the intruder as harmful. 

Tim switched angles and zoomed in. A lump formed in his throat, he felt sick to his stomach. He double and triple checked to be sure, then ran it through facial recognition as a final test. The result was conclusive. 

"Terry." Tim slammed his hand into the desk. 

"You know him?" Duke asked. He squinted closer at the face and checked through the teen's social media. 

"Yeah. That's the kid from mine and Damian's work. His dad and brother died in the explosion. He walked in on Damian suiting up." Tim explained while rubbing his head. "He's clever, he probably already figured out who we all are. That's not the problem. I trust him enough with my identity." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah I do. Even Damian does and he's shifty about this stuff. We seriously need to run some tests on you. Your powers are still growing. I didn't think seeing back 2 weeks was possible. And the drain was really quick, your body used nearly all the energy you had left."

"It shouldn't be possible. I'm never going that far again. For my own safety." Duke scratched his abdomen and looked down at the can.

"Do me a favour Duke, don't tell anyone about this. When you feel better I need you to doctor the footage if I'm not back. And if Dami comes back, do not let him anywhere near that room." Tim fixed cape and stormed off towards his bike. 

* * *

"Yahooo." Terry screamed. He flew through the air faster than he'd ever moved before. His practice using the grapple in alleyways wasn't wasted. He was now flying through the air. He disconnected the grapple and held his breath. The next shot caught on a fire escape and anchored him.

He smiled and sighed relief, he swung up to a low roof and surveyed mid town. In his short time as Robin, he'd stopped 3 muggings, a robbery and helped an old lady with her groceries. He'd created a chart for keeping track of his achievements. Terry had highlighted the last column: Super villains. He was building up to harder stuff the better he got.

"Soon to be 4 muggings." Terry eyed a lady at the cashpoint, a man pointed to his buddy and started to cross the road. Terry didn't waste any time, he used a deceleration line to take him to the ground and ran to the scene. 

He pounced on the man in the middle of the road and kicked his head into the floor. He threw some birdrangs in the direction of his friend. Each one landed meters away from the target. "Damn it."

He ran and drove his foot into the man's crotch, and elbow to his chin finished him off. The lady stood perplexed, she stared in wonder at him. Terry saluted her and reached for his grapple.

"Fuck. I left it on the line." He cursed. He hurried over to the wall and picked out his birdrangs. He grasped the handle of the line and pulled it back. 

The lines took some practice, he didn't even know what they were until he equipped one to the grapple. When he found he was moving way to slow, he switched the line cartridge to the only other he knew how to use.

Terry had slowly figured out that the entire suit was an armoury. The loops on the arms held various different pellets that he was too scared to test. The utility belts compartments had their own compartments. He itched to take it apart and see what was what, but his one suit had to be kept safe and clean.

The split toe soles on the boots were the hardest thing Terry had to get used to, he had no idea why his big toe had to be separate from the rest, but he blamed the previous owner.

His breathing hitched and ground to a halt when he saw a dark shadow move over the roofs on the next block. He slipped behind a dumpster and only dared peek out after minutes of hiding.

"One day." He sighed. He thought every night about how he could confess to Damian that he stole the suit. He thought that, maybe if he stopped a high profile crime, or a real villain then he could show Damian that he was meant to do this. He was making a difference.

He fumbled around his belt and retrieved the snickers bar he stowed away for if he got hungry. He munched it happily on the curb until a shadow fell over him. He looked up carefully and swallowed his bite.

"Would you believe me if I told you I made this myself?" Terry tried.

"No." Tim growled. He dragged Terry up and shoved him into the alleyway. "Walk."

"No. You can't make me." Terry ducked under Tim's arm and made a run for it. He choked and fell to the floor. The cape was tight around his throat.

"Terry. We need to go." Tim urged. "You're right in the middle of Batman's patrol route. You can't be seen in this."

"Fuck you Dr Midnite." Terry writhed and struggled. He hit the release of the cape and bolted down the alley as fast as his legs would go. Suddenly he was upside down. His legs were wrapped in thick cable. Gloved hands ripped the mask from his face and threw it aside.

"Thief. Pretender." Damian growled. "Why the hell are you wearing this? Why are you you helping him?" Batman's stared accusingly at Tim.

"I was trying to get the suit back before you saw." Tim unwrapped Terry's legs and stood him upright. "Because shit like this happens."

"You'll die. If we didn't catch you and you carried on, you'd die." Damian warned. "This isn't something you just do. You're untrained, you're immature, this isn't what you should want. Why did you take it?"

"Because I want to help. I want to save someone else's dad and brother. I want to stop teenagers falling in with the wrong crowd and going to juvy." Terry screamed. He pointed in Damian's face and used the back of his glove to sniff up his tears. "Robin can inspire people like you do. What can I do, if I can't do this?"

"This isn't a life you should want. I won't allow it. You haven't grieved yet Terry. You should be with your mother." Damian urged. He was calmer now. Terry's reasons struck both Tim and Damian.

"She doesn't care. She's gone back to work. I'm living on a couch Damian. The house isn't mine. I can't breathe there. She cries over Matt and avoids me. Everytime she looks at me she cries. I must remind her of him. Imagine your own mom barely being able to look at you." Terry slumped to the floor and sobbed. "I can breathe out here. I have made a difference. Please don't take this away from me. This is all I have left Damian, don't take it away."

Tim had to walk away. He pushed his cowl back and squeezed his own eyes. Terry was feeling the exact way he did. When Jack was killed, Steph was gone and everything felt hopeless. He clung to Robin, it was all he had to anchor himself.

"Come on Terry." Damian hugged him and helped him up. "You're done for the night." Against his own better judgement he uttered his next words as truthfully as he could. "I'm taking the suit, but this discussion isn't over."

Terry conceded defeat. He trudged behind Damian with a heavy head.

Sitting in the Batmobile would've been cool if he knew this wasn't the only time it'd ever happen. He picked at the seat and ignored Tim's hand on his shoulder.

The giant clock face glowed in the night. Terry guessed he wouldn't be allowed back into the cave, but he didn't guess that the clock tower was another Bat owned hideout.

Damian nudged Terry and led him to the locker rooms. He fished out some of his old clothes that never got cleared out and handed them to Terry. "They might not be your style but it'll do until you get home."

Damian returned to find Tim staring at him knowingly. 

"Don't look at me like that." Damian scolded. "I know what you're thinking, he isn't the same as you."

"I wasn't thinking anything, I was wondering if we could juice Duke up with speedster food." Tim chuckled. 

Terry trudged out and handed the suit to Damian. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets. 

* * *

"What do I do father?" Damian sighed. He leaned back in the chair and looked around Bruce's office. After dropping Terry home, Damian didn't know how to handle the situation, he didn't know how to help a helpless kid. So he enlisted Bruce's advice.

"What do you do?" Bruce shrugged. "It's your call to make. I knew he'd taken the suit as soon as I saw posts popping up about Robin. I monitored it but didn't say anything because it's your call. I thought he'd be ballsier and try to help you in the field. It was a risk not warning you, but it seems to have paid off."

"You're not helping." Damian pouted.

"Do you really think he'll stop because you told him to?" Bruce asked.

"No. I saw him snatch smoke pellets and a line cartridge before he gave it all back. But I put a sticky tracker behind his ear. I'll keep an eye on him." Damian fiddled with his glass. "He'll get hurt without me. But I don't want to put him in danger."

"You'll be putting him in danger by letting him run around the city. I'm biased because I believe I did the right thing with you all. Not Jason and I own that mistake. Maybe you could do a better job than I did. Maybe you could help him in a way where he can let it go easier. Ask yourself Damian, would Robin do him more harm than good? Can you focus his need to help, his want for change. It can go either way son. I tried to focus Jason's anger and make him whole again and Robin ended up being a conduit for his rage."

Damian picked the edge of the glass and frowned. Bruce leaned over and held his shoulder, the touch was reassuring but didn't make him feel any better about the situation. He'd made his decision. He hoped it was the right one.

* * *

Damian knocked the door loudly and waited. He could hear footsteps shuffling to the door. He adjusted his hair and coat nervously and bit his lip. Tim had refused to come with him, despite his pleas. 

"Good evening Dr McGinnis." Damian plastered his best charming smile over his face. 

"Mr Wayne. Please come in." She ushered him inside and whizzed around the room picking up mess. "Call me Mary. Please excuse the mess. I uhh-"

"Please, it's no trouble. I won't keep you for long." Damian folded the duvet on the sofa and sat himself down. "I would like to talk to you about Warren. I'll cut straight to the point and say I would like to personally pay for his and Matthew's funeral. Warren was a great friend, your son was a beautiful young man. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Mary's empty eyes clouded up. "Thank you."

"I hope Terry informed you of our friendship. The truth, is that I see lots of myself in him and have found that I'm quite protective over him. He has remarkable potential." Damian waved to Terry, who was standing in the hallway. His misty hair showed that he had recently just showered. Damian was just happy to see he hadn't sneaked out for the night.

"Yes. Umm, I'm very grateful for what you've done for him. Warren always said you were a good influence on him." Mary waved Terry over but didn't look him in the eye.

"I'd like to continue that if both you and Terry agree with it. I'd like to be something of a mentor to him. I know your work is very important to you, as was Warren's. Terry took a keen interest in it on his many visits. I'd hate for his enthusiasm to go to waste." Damian winked at Terry, hoping he understood the words hidden meaning. "In no way do I want to undermine your parenting, this is why I want your agreement too."

"I can't thank you enough for this Mr Wayne. I suppose Warren would've wanted this for him." She shook his hand and mouthed another thank you. "He's so clever, like my Matt." Mary swallowed. "Your family is very generous Mr Wayne, I don't know how I'll ever repay you for everything you've already done."

Damian kept hold of her hand and braced it reassuringly. "You never have to thank me. You can call me Damian. I want you to know that if you need anything. No matter how small or large. I will help you. Both of you. I believe in your son, you're a fantastic parent." He stood to leave, Mary let Terry see him out.

Terry eagerly eyed Damian's bag, waiting for the suit to be returned from him. His eyes were glittering and hungry. "So I'm in?"

"Yes, but if you're going to do this, it's on my terms." Damian warned in a hushed tone. "You won't be getting a suit yet, and you won't be going out there yet. You need training and you need to be here for your mother. You will only heal if both of you come together." 

Terry nodded disappointedly. "Terry, I promise I'll help you. Your training will start soon, in the meantime-" Damian pulled two ring bound books from his bag and a large book of plain paper. "These are for you. Those are Timothy's war journals. You are going to read them and get a feel of what Robin does. It's is technically more like a diary. This is very personal reading, but he agreed to loan you them."

"What's this?" Terry asked. He flicked through the blank book.

"For the notes and essay you're going to write for me. I'm going to teach you the fundimentals of what I do at Wayne Enterprises, then you'll tell me what you've learned." Damian stated with a evil grin.

"Wait, the mentoring crap was real? How am I gonna fit in school work, night work and this." Terry asked. He was flustered and irritated, it made Damian's smile widen.

"You need a cover as to why you're with me a lot of the time. Like I said if you want this, you'll do it my way." Damian pulled his coat together and took a few steps down the stairs. "See you soon Robin."

"See you soon Batman." Terry smirked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So then. Terry is Robin.
> 
> I've had this planned since the start. I hope I got it onto the page as well as it sounded in my head. 
> 
> I've got a chapter written next that has some different sort of flashbacks, focusing on Tim. Stay tuned for it in the next few days.


	73. Between (Smut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise smut! And two updates in one day!
> 
> I didnt plan to write this, but I got the need to write some steamy stuff. So I present to you this mini smut chapter. It's nothing spacial or transcendent but I like it. It's a cute 'fiancé' moment that doesn't take itself to seriously.

Tim yawned. It had been a long day. One of his own design. He didn't have to power through over a hundred emails, and spend 2 hours hunched over his laptop and phone on a call with the manufacturers then making sure the contractors were on schedule for Drake Manor. But he started to just reply to some urgent mail, then didn't stop.

The hours only caught up with him when Damian texted that he was nearly home. Tim rubbed his eyes and collected the papers off the bed.

He grinned cheesily when Damian marched into their room. Tim smelled him immediately; he had topped up his aftershave.

 _Why is he making an effort?_ Tim pondered.

"Are you okay handsome?" Damian asked. His voice had a slight growl that sent shivers through Tim.

"Mmm. Better now you're home." Tim propped himself on his elbow and watched as Damian fluttered in and out of the wardrobe area while he talked about his day. One item of clothing was dropped, but was never replaced.

_Oh fuck!_

"Fuck Dami. I didn't clean out." Tim whined. "I used my day off to get some work done then I got carried away. I know I said I'd jump you the second you got in but that isn't happening now." Tim frowned. "Sorry."

Damian stood in his briefs and socks and stared with an amused expression. "Don't be sorry." He sat on the bed and brushed Tim's overgrown hair from his face.

"I really wanna fuck though." Tim whispered. They both laughed.

"We could after patrol?" Damian offered. "Or..." He trailed off.

"Do tell." Tim kissed the hand that held his face and playfully bit at the thumb near his mouth.

"We've never done it before, but what if we do it between your thighs?" Damian blushed down to his neck and avoided Tim's gaze.

"Like what teenagers do when they don't wanna go all the way?" Tim chuckled.

"It looks fun." Damian leaned down and took Tim's lips between his own. Tim parted them and hugged Damian's head closer. His gentleness was a welcome change from the rough, hardness which Damian usually plumped for. Tim enjoyed both, but he enjoyed being cared for from time to time, rather than be thrown around the bedroom.

Tim rolled back and pulled his fiancé on top of him, he arched his back so their bodies were closer. When the lack of contact was at the point of frustration, he broke away and pulled his shirt over his head.

Damian's hands danced over his torso. Hovering in some places, so Tim could only feel the heat of his palms.

His body was nuzzled by Damian as he travelled downwards. His lips grazed the trail of hair at his belly button but never pressed into the kisses Tim was desperate for.

Damian wiggled Tim's lounge pants off with his boxers and eyed Tim's growing erection lovingly.

"If I leave our socks on does it count?" Damian raised an eyebrow.

Tim fell into a fit of laughter and covered his blush with his hands. "You're gay? I thought we were just hanging out? Don't all friends do this?" Tim held up his left hand. "Could this be and engagement ring and not a friendship band?" 

Damian snorted a laugh and pulled Tim's socks off. He pulled his underwear and socks off and waved them symbolically before throwing them off the bed.

He nosed down Tim's calf and barely kissed over his knees. His mouth closed around the soft skin of Tim's thigh and sucked lightly. His hands massaged the undersides and up to Tim's rear. Tim's thighs had always been sensitive. The thought of Damian between them, reaping his pleasure from them, it increased their sensitivity tenfold. He was suddenly aware of every touch, the brush of his barely-there stubble, the heat of his breath. The way his tongue darted and dared to tease. It was a new awakening for Tim. 

"I love when you have enough fat in you for me to squeeze." Damian mouthed and licked over the pale flesh and fine hairs. "There's nothing to hold when you're rock hard muscle."

Tim laughed breathily and crossed his legs over his lover's back. "Now you know how I feel. You're like 3% body fat. Trying to hold your ass is like grabbing a boulder."

Tim shivered when Damian's hot breath rippled across his legs. The laugh was low and rumbling. "I'll put on some weight, just for you." Damian took the set of balls in his mouth and rolled his tongue quickly over each.

Tim couldn't help but thrust and curl his toes. He squeezed Damian's head down greedily and gasped when the tight ring of lips fell over his tip. His nails found themselves dug into Damian's scalp.

His thighs became looser and more relaxed with each passing moment. Damian's nimble hands worked and kneaded the pressure points. 

Tim groaned and pushed Damian's head back, regardless of the bliss he was in. "I wanna cum later, you got me on the edge." Tim answered to Damian's questioning eyes.

"I think I've got a position in mind that could get us both off." Damian kissed Tim's shaft and crawled up the bed to retrieve his lube. 

Damian positioned Tim in his side, with his legs bent up halfway to his chest. He drizzled lube on his hand and pushed it between the tight gap of his legs. He pushed up and rubbed up Tim's shaft. Each thrust of his fingers pushed the underside of Tim's cock. 

"Now I get it." Tim chuckled. "We might need a pillow or two under me." Damian complied and propped Tim's hips up with pillows. The slick gap was perfectly in line. 

Damian pumped his cock with his slicked up hand and pushed between Tim's legs with one fluid thrust. Their tips met and rubbed when Damian's hips pressed forward. 

Tim gasped and eyed Damian with awe. They knew they found a new way to have fun. 

Damian placed a hand on Tim's hip and another in his knee. He made the gap smaller. It hugged his dick unbearably, thrusting was a challenge when he felt so comfortable in Tim's warmth. Could he not just lay there and fall asleep sandwiched in this heaven? 

Damian pressed forward and moaned. His teeth were bared. Tim closed his eyes and let pleasure wash over him. He admitted to himself that he would've let Damian just take his pleasure from his legs. But Damian made sure the pleasure derived was equal for the both of them. 

Each pound of Damian's hips rocked Tim on the edge of climax. Each sweet glance of their lengths brought him closer, and each miss from Damian's uncontrolled rhythm tore him further away. 

He grasped at the sheets and shook. His instincts begged him to open his legs further. Their current situation forced him to deny his urge. Damian's palm forced his knee down anytime it dared to rise and release the pressure on his length. 

"Tim." Damian rasped. "I'm so close." He fell forward into Tim's outstretched hand. "Fuck. Is there any part of you that doesn't feel so good?"

"Just cum baby. You can finish me off with that magical mouth of yours." Tim chuckled and made a pouty face. 

Damian rolled his eyes and thrust harder with renewed energy. Hands tightened around his knee. He could feel Damian shake and twitch between him. The stream erupted into his own length and abs when Damian cried out. 

He tore Tim's legs apart and buried his head in between. His own cum smeared around his face while he throated Tim. He sucked and twisted his head. He was hungry for Tim's climax. He wanted it. 

He pulled back and pumped Tim with a slick hand. The alternation between tight mouth and loose hand ripped Tim's control apart. He bucked up and cried out. "Nuugh Dami!" Tim's impassioned warming was too late. He covered Damian's face with his pleasure. 

Tim panted for air, he scooped the glob of cum from his fiancé's eye. "Sorry." Tim managed to breathe out. 

Damian's smile was infectiously mischievous. He laid his face down in the pool of cum that was already gracing Tim's abs and snorted with laughter. "Please tell me we stocked up on baby wipes?" He huffed. He looked up and stretched his lips into a sarcastic smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter in a few days. This one was a just a nice bonus, it doesn't throw off my schedule.


	74. War Journals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really is just a love letter to Tim and his struggles.

Terry collapsed in his couch-bedroom, he'd taken the world's longest shower and slipped into the world's comfiest pyjamas. His week started on a catastrophic low. The joint funeral for Matt and Warren was traumatic. He could still feel the weight of Matt's coffin on his shoulder. He wondered if it would ever lift. Every time he looked at the order of service, the picture of Matt's shining white smile was replaced with the charred, broken face he found after the explosion. He felt better after they were laid to rest. He knew it was one less thing on his mom's mind. 

The dreams became a little less traumatic every night. The pain of seeing their possessions faded. Terry began to understand that life wasn't going to stand still for him, he couldn't live in the void he'd created for himself. He couldn't live everyday feeling guilty that he had fun, or didn't cry again. His dad wouldn't have wanted him to be miserable.

Damian, staying true to his word, had actually lectured him on the basics of his work, and scowled him down until he started taking notes. Terry desperately wanted to make fun of him, and call him professor. Perhaps a better and less basic insult he could conjure up, but the Batman stare wasn't something he wanted to be on the receiving end of. 

_Jokes on Damian because the essay is done a week early._ Terry gloated to his own mind.

He knew his mom was already in bed, so he pulled up the floorboard and fished out volume 2 of the Robin War Journals. He enjoyed ready through volume 1. Terry quickly realised that Tim is Robin. Tim is Robin in every sense of the word. Nearly every story Terry had ever heard about Robin before was one of Tim's missions. 

The idea made those terrible split toe boots he hated seem much bigger. The foggy idea he had of Robin sharpened into focus onto a slender face and arctic eyes. But even though his own idea of Robin closely resembled Tim, the others were just as difficult to live up to. As Terry found out after digging, Damian was low-key as far as Robins go. He didn't quip and make jokes. He didn't deliver the harshest, but well deserved beatings to pedophiles and abusers that nearly killed them. He was a quiet bird, a controlled and dangerous bird who criminals learned to take seriously when they met the point of his sword and the sole of his boot. 

The more he researched and learned, the more nervous he became. How could he live up to Tim? To Tim's feats and his laser fast mind? How could he bring light and grace to the position like the first Robin did? How could he be intimidating and dangerous like Damian? How could he be a true partner like Jason? 

Bruce's experiences after losing Jason, and the events Tim wrote about were both inspiring and heartbreaking to read. He couldn't believe a 9 year old figured out Gotham's biggest secret. Terry knew that his partnership with Damian would be very different to Tim's with Bruce. Tim supported Bruce, but Damian didn't need supporting. Tim made Batman whole again, but Damian was complete and happy already. He wondered where he'd fit in as Robin. How much of a tight leash would Damian keep on him? Would he be free to take on solo missions like Tim?

Reading about the very gay Tim Drake that Terry knew well was more amusing when he spoke about Stephanie. Seeing the actual words written into the pages that Tim loved this girl romantically was such an alien concept. He pondered his own experiences as he read about Tim's early love life, he looked closer at how he perceived himself. Already, his new position was making him dig deep into himself and ask difficult questions. 

His admiration for Tim grew with every word he read. He did pray that he'd never end up in a school like Brentwood. He could cope with an alcoholic friend, but not be cooped up with a stranger.

He did now know to stock up on pistachios. Tim wrote an entire passage about how he'd eat just a few from a small bag every night on the way back to the cave. They helped him get to sleep quicker after his adrenaline filled nights. Tim wrote that he'd wash it down with camomile tea and hope he got at least 4 hours before school. 

Terry flicked to entry 132 where the next sticky note left by Damian was. He snuggled under his duvet and began to read. 

> 'I had to attend 3 funerals in 3 days. My dad, Darla and Steph. My hands are healed, the cuts from the boomerang won't ever go away. I have a crisscross of scars now. Everytime I look at them I can see my dad and that fucking boomerang. 
> 
> I couldn't even cry at Steph's funeral. Another way I managed to fail her. I miss her. It's the quiet nights that are the worst. I think about calling just to hear her voicemail message. But if I do that I won't ever be able to stop. 
> 
> Bruce has been good to me, better than I deserve. I've lashed out so many times and he's been patient with me after every tantrum I throw. He called me 'son'. He does it all the time. But now after dad is gone, I can't bear to hear it. I'll never hear it from my own dad again. 
> 
> I told Bruce that I'm staying as Robin. I should've stopped there, but I haven't been talking much, so my reasoning fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I went on about how I'm more determined than ever, that I was going to make their deaths worthwhile. 
> 
> Then I was horrible... I told Bruce I'd never be like him, I said I'd never let the losses turn me into a grim and vengeful barely-human. I guilted him into paying for Dana's treatment.
> 
> He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world he cared about. I've been nothing but vile and he keeps supporting me. 
> 
> He'll never know how grateful I am. Because Robin is all I have now. He's all I have now. The more I try and cling onto him, the more I seem to push him away. I wish he'd stop letting me. Why can't he just shake me and tell me to stop? Why can't he be more like dad? My dad would scream at me, he'd ground me. He'd make me sit with my feelings and face them. Only then would he come up to my room and do the supportive stuff. 
> 
> I need help. I know that because I'm questioning a man being supportive and kind to me like it's the worst thing in the world. 
> 
> It's never going to be normal again. Dad was a shit parent most of the time. I can't lie and say he was great just because he's dead. But he was my dad. I love him. I'm only just realising how much I loved him now he's gone.
> 
> I've been going out to familiarise myself with Blüdhaven. With Nightwing taking a break I guess me and Batgirl are the protectors now. The responsibility keeps me busy. 
> 
> It's getting difficult, I try my best to keep myself lighthearted. Despite how cold and empty I feel on the inside. I can't surrender to that void. The all too welcoming abyss. It's the place where Batman lives and I can't go there. I'm afraid I'll like it. That's how Bruce escapes his trauma, his emotions. 
> 
> I wish there was someone who knew what I was going through. I just need someone to talk to. I can't burden my friends with this, it's too heavy and I don't need pity. I just need someone.'

Terry let the book drop to his lap. He gathered his thoughts and rubbed his face. 

_Maybe I should talk to Tim. We're so alike, maybe he could be someone I could confide in. Maybe he could be the someone to me that he never had._ Terry pondered. _Or am I meant to read this and never mention the contents to him? He didn't want pity then, he wouldn't want it now._

He picked the book back up and flicked to the next marker Damian had left. 

> 'This is utter madness. I don't even know how I feel. I live in Jason's legacy. He was the Robin who gave his life for the mission. I still have dreams about what would happen if we met. Would he accept me? Would he hold a grudge? 
> 
> A psychologist would love to dig into my brain, maybe it's because I haven't got any siblings and my parents were absent. Maybe I just crave someone to relate to. But even though I've never met him or spoken to him, Jason always seems to be my brother in my dreams. He acts that way anyway. I got rid of that Clayface imitation from my head and imagined the Robin that always had a smile when swinging next to Batman. 
> 
> I'm so sad and fucked up that I occasionally imagine a dead man as a family member. It's not so much I want to be related to him, but I already feel close to him through the mantle I wear. We are, by default, brothers in arms. 
> 
> The illusion is well and truly shattered. He stood in my room at the tower and tore apart everything I thought I knew about him. 
> 
> Jason Todd is the Red Hood. Bruce has been warning me about him, the trouble he's been causing. My idol is a murderer. My brother in arms hates me.
> 
> The rage and disgust he spoke to me with. He hates me. He hits like a ton of bricks, he's so fast. He's better than I'll ever be. But that doesn't mean I'm bad at my job. Not by a long shot. I won't have my skills undermined. 
> 
> I hated fighting back, but once I knew Jason was Red Hood, I had to. It's my duty as Robin to take down Gotham's most dangerous criminal. 
> 
> He was right about one thing, he was a Titan. The shake in his voice, it was vulnerable. He thinks people forgot about him. I should've been vocal about that, he should have a statue. He deserves to be remembered, but not while he's this vengeful, murderous, criminal. 
> 
> He asked me if I believe I'm good enough. Despite the fact that he beat me spectacularly, I said yes. And I meant it. 
> 
> I am good enough. I'm tired of living in his shadow and trying to live up to him and Dick. I'm Robin, I don't need to live up to anyone. I just need to be a hero. 
> 
> But right now this hero is nursing some broken bones and black bruises.'

Terry chuckled. It was bizarre to think that the brother Tim was regularly pictured out with, tried to kill him. He scrawled a note down on his bookmark to read more into Red Hood. 

_Tim's right. Maybe I shouldn't try and live up to everyone else. It already seems impossible, maybe I shouldn't even bother._ Terry reaffirmed himself.

The next page that Damian highlighted was dated 3 months after the previous entry.

> 'How many people do I have to lose? Am I being punished? 
> 
> After Jason came the crisis. Blüdhaven's outskirts got bombed into oblivion. Dick wasn't there thankfully but Dana was, now I truly am an orphan. I don't think I ever really told her how much she meant to me. Or how much I thank her for helping Dad and backing my corner. 
> 
> The city is hell. Everywhere is still hell. Planets being mashed together in the sky and villains banding tighter to wreak havoc is as bad as it gets. For other people anyway. 
> 
> Me, Bruce and Dick took 2 months off. We travelled and found our way again. Bruce and Dick are calmer, their conviction has doubled. The entire time we were meant to be finding ourselves, I was finding nothing. 
> 
> I spent the 3 months sourcing equipment. And it won't work. I have all the DNA, all the right technology, and it won't work. 
> 
> I can't clone Superboy. 
> 
> Him and Bart died saving the world and I can't help either of them. 
> 
> I'm nearing 100 attempts and it keeps failing. I just want my friend back. Everyone I love dies. It's becoming more of a sick joke than anything else. Don't I deserve to get someone back? 
> 
> Somehow, I'm still carrying on. I'm running on empty. The new suit helps me remember what I need to do. I wear Kon's colours as a way of telling myself: there is always someone who needs saving. I wear them to honour him. Anytime I feel like giving up and taking my foot off the gas, I look in the glass of a passing window. I imagine him flying next to me. Despite the goofiness and the wisecracks, He always had the same conviction and sense of right and wrong as Superman himself. It spurs me on, it makes me better, it helps me get through the night and keep the smile on my face.
> 
> Ravager tried it on with me last night. She was waiting for me in my bed. I'm 14 years old, any other boy my age would've jumped at the chance. Illegal or not. She's 15, what would I have to lose? 
> 
> I considered it, I thought she could help me forget about everything. She's beautiful. She's dangerous, she could've been what I needed. 
> 
> Why did I turn her down? I felt nothing, she's attractive, but I wasn't attracted to her. She's beautiful, but I didn't find her beautiful. 
> 
> I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm scared, because no matter who I think I am, I keep finding ways to show myself just how different I'm becoming. I don't know if I'm changing for better or worse.'

_Damn Tim. If I was you, then yes I would've jumped at the chance._ Terry chuckled internally. He skimmed through the next few pages, he noticed that as time went on Tim didn't sound so down. Over time he seemed to pick himself up again. He found Tim's resilience to be near superhuman. 

> 'All the talks I had with Dick in the months we were away. About my folks, Steph, Kon. I finally thought I had everything where I could deal with it. I finally thought that just maybe it wasn't me who was ruining and ending their lives. But I get back into things and Cassie is wracked with grief, Cassandra is having a wobble. I nearly got Dodge killed. 
> 
> I was mad at myself for feeling sorry for myself. I should've been thinking about Dodge. I should've been thinking about helping the people who have lost more than me. 
> 
> I spotted a jumper down below me tonight. He was a college kid, he'd had it rough. Parents divorcing, didn't fit in well at college or high school, and his girlfriend left him. 
> 
> He said he expected me to tell him that his problems were less than other peoples, because they'd had it worse. 
> 
> I had it worse. My parents are dead, my best friends are dead, my girlfriend is dead. But it doesn't matter. I told him that his problems are worse than anyone else's because they're his. 
> 
> I was telling myself the advice as much as I was telling him: I'm not alone. Neither was he. There are people I can speak to, to ease the burden. 
> 
> I'd never tell anyone else but there have been times when I miss Kon, my parents, everyone so much that I think about dying. I wouldn't have to live with the pain of it all. I don't want to kill myself, but if I died, I don't think I'd mind. 
> 
> But the worst part about living is that we have to carry on without those we've lost, otherwise what was the point in living in the first place? Why would we live just to die when the ones close to us do? It's the hardest burden to carry, but it'll make me a better person in the end. 
> 
> I called Dick after patrol. I took my own advice and called him. He didn't judge me when I told him about the thoughts I'd been having. Bruce would've locked me away until I was bursting with life and happiness again or something. Dick's a hero in every sense of the word, I asked if I could give him a call every few nights just to vent, he didn't even hesitate when he said yes. 
> 
> After my chat, I think I'm going to focus on myself some more. I want to get to a place where I'm not guilty anymore, for things that aren't my fault.'

Terry looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearly 1am. Hours had passed by like they were minutes. He slid the bookmark into place and replaced the book under the floorboard. He shuffled down and closed his eyes for the night. He wondered what dreams he'd have, maybe he'd reimagine one of Tim's adventures but in his own way. 

* * *

Mary was in New York for an important conference for her work. A full weekend staying in a 5* hotel that Terry wanted to steal a robe from. Terry fussed and repeatedly told her she didn't have to go. But Mary insisted she was okay and gave Terry a kiss on the cheek as a goodbye. It was the first affection he'd been shown by her since he moved in. 

Terry didn't have training yet, and he knew he couldn't sneak out. After a few minutes debating with himself he decided to spend his Saturday indoors becoming one with the couch. 

If Terry was good at anything at all, it was wasting time. He woke up early in the morning and didn't bother to put any more clothes on. He wandered into the kitchen and swiped the milk and cereal. It was set in front of him on the coffee table shamelessly. He poured his first bowl of many and flicked through the TV. 

"News is boring." Terry moaned. "Everything's boring." He switched back to the news and slouched in his chair. "It's not so bad."

He scrolled through Instagram and liked a few pictures while shoveling cheerios into himself. 

He meditated for a hour like Tim suggested in his journals. He wasn't so sure what he should've been reflecting on, so he just concentrated on breathing. 

He was in the middle of having some 'Me time', when the door knocked. He scrambled up and hunted the flat for antibacterial wipes. He answered the door with his blankets wrapped around himself. 

"Damian what the hell?" Terry kept the chain on and scowled through the gap. His blush was spread over all his face and down his neck. 

"I have some things we need to go over." He held up the case and asked with his eyes to come in. Terry groaned and unlocked the door. He waddled into his sofa and sat casually waiting for the contracts or something formal he'd have to complete. 

Damian wrinkled his nose and pushed the bowl and chip packets aside to make room for his case on the table. 

"Don't you judge me. Today was meant to be a day off. I did your essay, I've nearly finished the journals." Terry rolled his eyes. "You're in my house, I eat what I want and do what I want." 

Damian held his hands up defensively. "I didn't say anything. You're 14, you're allowed to have eating habits like this. My 39 year old brother coincidentally eats the same as you, and encourages my niece as well."

"So what you got for me today? A timed exam? Multiple choice questionnaire?" Terry giggled. "Do I need to put some boots on and do a physical test? Cause I ain't getting out of this blanket." 

"No you can stay in your swaddle. I'd just like to show you your suit. I adapted the suit you stole and assumed you would have an affinity with that design." Terry nodded eagerly. "It's not final, but here are the sketches and colour designs I made. Unfortunately the colours are non negotiable, that's just the way it is."

Terry held the picture in his hands. His heart thumped against his ribcage. The limbo he'd been in was clearer now. He wasn't just trying out for the job, he now had his own suit. He was Robin.

"I love it." Terry whispered. "It's just like Tim's but newer, it's more sleek. It's more me. And no underwear on the outside!"

Damian guffawed and held his stomach. "Yes, that look is rather outdated. Just don't tell Superman."

"I get to meet Superman!" Terry gasped. His heart rate doubled impossibly. 

"You'll get to meet everyone. Don't worry." Damian pulled out a mechanical pencil and a small square of paper with a circle in the middle. "I'm going to get a glass of water if that's okay? While I'm doing that I need you to draw your Robin symbol. It's a rite of passage, we all drew ours. Remember this will be on your birdrangs, belt, chest and locker. You need to draw the first R that comes into your head. When I say Terry McGinnis is Robin, you think off..." Damian handed him the pencil and hurried away.

Terry tapped the end on the paper and drew a rough copy outside of the circle. It was more of a squiggle but he knew just what he wanted.

He started with a straight line that ran just over the edges of the circle. He drew a lightning bolt-like shape over the line. Coming from the top, into a point then intersecting the line in the middle, before blasting out towards the edge of the circle. He filled it out and thickened it in areas until it was a fully fledged symbol that he could wear proudly.

_Hell yeah. Now that's Robin._

"Done it Damian." Terry waved the square above his head until it was snatched away.

"Interesting. I thought you'd go for a cleaner look. I like it." Damian's face was blank despite the compliment, it was one of the things Terry hated about him.

Damian sat and looked gravely at Terry. "I want you to know that I don't expect this from you, you can give it up at any time. I don't want you to stay if you're unhappy." Terry nodded and forced a smile. "If you're comfortable with it, I'd like to introduce you formally to everyone tomorrow. Nightwing and Oracle will be there and Batgirl is leaving for Hong Kong on Monday. We can get every introduction out of the way at once."

Terry gulped and scratched his hair. "Sure. It'd be great. But umm, I just want to make a good first impression. Is there anything I need to know? Do I need to quieten down? Act more grown up?"

Damian smiled and held Terry's shoulder. "Just be yourself. Don't put on an act or try to be somebody else. We're all different in my family. No one is expecting you to be anything. I want you to just be Terry McGinnis. Nothing more, nothing less. They'll love you." He collected his things to leave and shrugged his coat on.

"I'd ask you if you wanted to stay for dinner but I don't wanna kill Batman. I can't cook much." Terry scrunched his mouth up and tried to remember what was left in the fridge. 

Damian placed $40 on the table and rolled his eyes. "Get pizza or something, just make sure it has at least one vegetable on it."

Terry stood to see his mentor out. At the door Damian halted. "I just remembered, where do you get to on the War Journals?"

"I've got about 3 of your labels left to go. Not counting the Red Robin entries." Terry answered.

"If you can, I'd like you to finish at least the labeled ones tonight. It'll help you understand Jason and me a little better. I remember bookmarking them specifically." Damian nodded and bounced down the stairs.

Terry retreated and placed himself in his cocoon again.

 _That couldn't have been done over text?_ He thought. _He interrupted my zen._

He fished out the journal because his previous plans were derailed. He took notice of the label Damian left. He called the chapter: 'Troubling, but hilarious in parts.'

> 'I took a trip for the weekend, just to get some air. I wanted to unwind and take a step back.
> 
> I did unwind, but it was short lived. I came back to the cave and got it sprung in me that Bruce has a son... And he's one absolute cunt.
> 
> I held my hand out to him, just a handshake. It was a 9-10 year old boy. He's got huge cheeks and still has milk teeth. He's tiny. He looked harmless.
> 
> Maybe I shouldn't have been sarcastic, but his first words to me were: 'don't patronise me or I'll break your face.'
> 
> Alfred shrugged at me, I knew that if he was lost for words, then the situation truly was hopeless. He threw a massive tantrum, like the baby he is. When he swore at Alfred I had to bite my tongue. We all swear like soldiers, but never with Alfred. To him or with him.
> 
> Unless it's about Bruce, Alfred allowed me a pass when Bruce told us what stupid desicion he'd made and me and Alf both said 'fuck's sake' together.
> 
> Everything got worse when Bruce told me who the mother was. He preached about giving this brat love and care. He was going to respect him and care for him despite his upbringing.
> 
> I know I shouldn't have, but I felt a surge of jealousy. I have nothing to be jealous of. He's a stuck up, bratty asshole. At least his Grandad has manners.
> 
> The next day I found him in the cave. I gave myself a talk, I vowed to be nice and try again. That's who I am. I don't hold many grudges, I'm a nice guy.
> 
> I offered to spar with him and was met with a sword to my head.
> 
> Strike 1.
> 
> He called Alfred a servant and broke into the cave.
> 
> Strike 2. My patience was on millimeter thick ice.
> 
> Damian mimicked my voice perfectly, it was as if I was listening to a recording.
> 
> Back to strike 1, I was actually very impressed.
> 
> When he pulled out the severed head of a criminal and threw it at me with the grenade, all strikes went out the window. I was forced to jump, but he was already on me with the sword. I didn't want to hurt him, so I threw him clear.
> 
> He skittered up the dinosaur like the nasty little rat he is. I was so done, that I grappled up and kicked him off balance.
> 
> In hindsight maybe I should've let the jaws close on his leg. If he couldn't walk, then he wouldn't be able to piss me off. But I helped him up because I'm Tim Drake, the nice guy.
> 
> I bent to his level, I looked him in the eye and asked him why he was acting like an ass.
> 
> He told me I didn't deserve any of this, what Bruce has given me. He called me a stray and once I was gone, he'd take my place.
> 
> I was stupid to drop my guard. I couldn't reach my grapple in time.
> 
> When I came round I had to use my broken arm, to patch up the bleeding. The other arm was dislocated. It was all blurred after that, I could hear Bruce screaming at the gremlin. And I think I walked some of the way to the medbay.
> 
> Alfred told me I needed 6 pints of blood in total to replace what I'd lost. I'm currently writing this with my left hand because my right is screwed. It's a good thing I'm ambidextrous. 
> 
> That child is dangerous. He needs help and I don't think Bruce can do it. Damian doesn't want to be helped. 
> 
> I understand, I really do. His upbringing has made him this way. But he came into our home and hurt me and Alfred. I thought Bruce would react differently. 
> 
> I hope Damian's want to be with Bruce is genuine, because Bruce could do him a lot of good. But like hell is he taking Robin from me.'

"I cannot believe they are a couple." Terry said aloud. He gasped at the page and laughed astoundedly. "He sounds like a different person now. That's insane." 

Terry ordered his pizza and made sure to get some sliced peppers as his one mandatory vegetable. He had 10 minutes to kill so he squeezed in one more entry.

> 'Batman dying has killed Gotham. The city itself is dying, its being torn apart by the gangs. They're all vying for power. Everyone has seen the chance to move up the ladder or expand their territory. 
> 
> I found out that Jason is in town pretty quickly. I did laugh very loudly when someone said he wore a girly mask. I know I wear one too, but I like to think I pull it off. 
> 
> It didn't take me long to stumble across him. He went in hard with a dragon's den pitch about using the gangs and working together. 
> 
> He started shooting as soon as I declined. He was trying to lure me into something. I could see what he was doing from a mile off. He expected me to vault towards him so I did the opposite and watched his face drop in disappointment. 
> 
> Jason's mind is hit and miss. He is so intelligent, to the point where he stumped Bruce. But sometimes he thinks like a blunt instrument. He hits like one too. Don't forget... 
> 
> Nightwing would clean his clock. I have to play smart. I'm not a match for him. I learned it the hard way. I've been trained more, I'm more agile. But he runs on brute force... And 2 modified glocks. 
> 
> He was stupid enough to use them in a crowded street. You'd think I wouldn't be surprised by his choices by now. 
> 
> Jason's problem is his insecurity. He's the Jan Brady of the bat-family. I know that makes me Cindy. He overcompensates and tries too hard to impress people. He goes extreme all the time. It probably stems from his time as Robin, constantly trying to make Bruce proud.
> 
> Maybe that's the right thing to do. With Batman gone. Not the killing but the making tougher, harder choices. 
> 
> I had him beat but I forgot about the other 6 guns that were strapped to him. I used my cape to shield a civilian. Bullets still hit hard enough to bruise. I have a great dot to dot on my back. 
> 
> He would've killed me but I was saved by some guy. Red Robin. 
> 
> Jason started to freak out. It was his costume, and his identity that was following us like a ghost. 
> 
> Karma really is a bitch, the civilian I saved shot Jason straight through the leg. 
> 
> Every instinct I had told me to save him, to drag him away to safety. But my brain rules these days. Having him in police custody would be one less issue for me. 
> 
> It was a callous choice, but it was the right one. 
> 
> I haven't got time for sentiment, or what ifs. The city is relying on me now. I have a Red Robin imposter running around. The gangs are tearing the city apart. 
> 
> I have to start making the smarter, harder choices. I have to think faster. With Batman gone, the gangs will be. If I don't start rising to meet the challenge then who will? 
> 
> I'm making a point to keep writing these. Getting my thoughts down helps me manage. But I'm sitting in the cave now ready to go out again, and honestly? I'm ready for it. Bruce prepared me well enough. I'm going to solve this mystery, I'll stop the gangs. I have to. 
> 
> No one else will.'

Terry popped the book back in it's hiding place and ate his pizza with a full mind. He realised that there was so much he hadn't thought about. He didn't consider how he'd have to operate with the other members of the family. He had a lot to chew over in his head. 

"First I need to wax my eyebrows and have a shower." Terry said to himself through a gigantic bite of food.

_I will be myself Damian. Just myself that's made double the effort to look good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing this. I had to delve into the moments and combine Tim's narration with what he might've been feeling.
> 
> If course that is up for everyones interpretation, but the way tim came across for alot of his Robin run after his dad, kon and steph died was kinda depressed. The book with the jumper heavily hinted that Tim himself thought about suicide.
> 
> In order to really get the feelings out, I had to make it resonate with some of my feelings in similar situations. So the journal entries are to some extent personal to me aswell.


	75. Through the Years

Terry held up two jackets and chewed the inside of his cheek. Leather or bomber jacket? That was his latest dilemma. He spent 30 minutes on his hair, he'd brushed his teeth twice, he'd changed his pants too many times to be normal.

He was stepping into their home, their base, their family. He was for all intents and purposes: an intruder. But he'd be damned if he was a badly dressed intruder.

He'd been rehearsing his greetings and manners all morning, from 5am when he woke up, until now at 10:49.

"11:30." Terry reminded himself. "Cab is booked for 11. You wait outside and work yourself into a panic for 5 minutes before going in." Terry smiled plastically and shrugged on the bomber.

Terry eyed his mom's emergency pack of cigarettes and pondered. His mom always smoked when she was stressed, nervous or pissed off. He shook himself out of it, remembering how much money it would cost to fund an addiction and how stupid it'd be. 

His bladder pulsed. He growled and stormed off to the bathroom. "8th time this morning." He moaned while washing his hands.

He was a mess, all he saw in the mirror was a nervous wreck who was sure to screw up. He tapped his phone and considered cancelling on Damian. But Robin wasn't a quitter.

"Screw this." Terry marched out the flat and raced down the stairs to wait for the cab. He'd come too far to turn back.

* * *

The ride wasn't far, Terry found that living in Newtown rather than the Upper West Side would be more beneficial to his new job. He always wondered why, with all her money, his mom moved into an apartment surrounded by the most dangerous areas in the city.

She always described it as a diamond in the rough. She took him up to the roof, only then did he understand. You could see over the water into Gotham Heights. You could see just into the Knights stadium, and the botanical gardens. You could also see directly into the Bowery and Crime Alley. His mom's smile didn't change. She said that Gotham was a beauty no matter where you looked.

He looked up at the gates and swallowed. The Manor was more imposing than he remembered, now that he could take in it's enormity in daylight.

Damian said he'd leave it unlocked and turn the electric off, all he had to do was push and it'd close itself. Terry wondered why he didn't die the night he was chased.

The driveway was full of cars, a silver classic Porsche. A graphite Mustang Boss that Terry remembered Damian telling him that Jason stole it and wouldn't give it back. A modest deep purple Audi.

"Everyone really is here." Terry stared between the doorbell and the giant knocker. His first issue at the house and he hadn't interacted with anyone yet. He decided on the doorbell.

He scoffed at the meowing tone and braced himself when the handle was pulled down.

* * *

"You all trust me, don't you?" Damian asked. He stood in front of the TV and stared at his entire family gathered in one place.

They were mostly nods, Jason and Duke screwed up their faces and shook their heads.

"Why?" Steph was the first to ask.

"Because I'm taking a gamble. I've thought long and hard over my decision. But it's the right one." Damian clapped his hands together and sighed nervously. "I would've consulted you all but I made the decision to bring someone in on our identities."

Scowls and gasps of shock echoed around the room. Damian pleaded with Bruce. Bruce simply nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

"Before you all shout and rightfully scream at me, this person already knows who me and Timothy are. I have no doubt in their abilities, they had definitely already figured out who the rest of you were." Damian's words seemed to soothe the situation, but the family's expressions were still guarded and weary. "I trust this person, as much as I trust you all. I want you to give him a chance, please. You know I'd never put any of you or your lives in danger."

The doorbell meowed and everyone stared accusingly at Selena. "It's been that way for 2 months, you all don't use the doorbell." She shrugged. Kate scoffed and covered her mouth.

Damian answered the door and smiled reassuringly at the terrified boy. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." He whispered to Terry. He signalled for Terry to wait behind the wall. "Now everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Terry McGinnis." Damian pulled Terry infront of him and held his shoulders. "Or his new title: Robin. He's hungry, driven and wants to help. His motivations are genuine. I'm going to keep him out of danger and focus him. Like father did for us."

Terry waved awkwardly and instinctively backed further into Damian where he felt safer and less exposed. He had no idea what everyone was thinking, because their faces were just exhibiting a single emotion: Shock. Regret was quickly taking a hold of him. 

"Hi." He choked out, his voice cracking halfway through the singular word. He flushed red and looked down at his hands.

Steph jumped up and took Terry's hand. She shook it and gave a warm, welcoming smile. "Stephanie Brown. Spoiler. Nice to meet you." She leaned in closer and whispered. "I've got you, don't worry."

Cass walked gently and shook his hand also. The nerves were rolling off him in waves, she didn't need to be a body language expert to tell. "Cassandra Wayne. Batgirl." She half hugged him.

The others looked between each other and had a silent, mental conversation. They all nodded and stood.

Terry thought they were all going to leave, he thought that Damian had shoehorned him in too fast and now they were rejecting him. He couldn't stop smiling while they all came to introduce themselves instead. The older redhead and Jason still looked suspicious, but everyone else smiled and tried to be nice. 

"Timothy is in the cave with Barbara. We should start." Damian announced. He turned the hands of the now fixed clock and led the way down. Steph protectively kept Terry beside her at the rear of the group.

"What's gonna start?" Terry whispered to Steph. She seemed to be the most forthcoming and friendly, so he clung to her. 

"Damian's been working on some wierd project for months. He's only just letting us see it." Steph answered while pulling a face.

"Is it on the top platform at the back of the cave?" Terry asked nervously. Steph nodded suspiciously. "Yeah I may have fucked it up for him. He'll make a point of explaining it I'm sure."

They traversed the cave, up the winding platforms and across the training center. Terry tried to play dumb, but he'd memorised the layout the first time he was here. He couldn't help it, he was standing in the famous Batcave. They gathered outside the door, waiting. A ding from the elevator across the balcony was followed by Tim and a redhead in a wheelchair behind him. Terry immediately recognised her as Barbara Gordon.

Bruce took Barbara into a long hug, Terry felt like he was intruding on the scene just by standing there. These two obviously had history and something special and raw was going unspoken.

"So this is the 6th Robin." She eyed Terry suspiciously under her glasses and held her hand out. "Tim vouched for you, so I guess I can trust you, temporarily. Barbara Gordon, Oracle."

Terry's jaw dropped. "You're Oracle? That's so cool. I just thought you were the first Batgirl and that was it. I thought you'd retired after..." Terry flushed again and looked away. He couldn't believe he'd brought up someone's trauma already. 

Barbara chuckled at his embarrassment. "Don't worry about it. Oracle is the best kept secret. Keep it that way or I'll ruin you." Her smile was warm but her eyes were vicious and predatory. Terry knew not to get on her bad side. 

Damian cleared his throat and stood at the doors. 

"Hi I'm Damian Wayne and I'll be your tour guide for today." Jason called out in a pleasant, corporate voice. Everyone snickered and snorted. 

"Very funny Jay." Damian pouted. "For lack of a better explanation, I am a tour guide for today. I've been working on this for a long time, every article that wasn't already there had to be made from scratch. But it will be good to have somewhere to remind us of our history and what we fight for." Damian opened the door and led the way inside. "Please do not touch the exhibits. Especially you McGinnis." 

Terry shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided the questioning looks. 

"We're starting over here. With Father's suits. We begin where it started." Damian pressed a button which caused the blacked out case to turn clear instantly. "The original Batsuit. Complete with purple gloves and only 4 pouches for utility." 

Bruce looked into the case curiously. "I became Batman in 1996, there weren't many pictures of me. How did you recreate it with this much detail?" 

"I went through the historical records we have and dug up the old sketches. It took me a few days to dig through the boxes, but after I found them all, I uploaded them to the computer." Damian clapped his hands. "The next two suits are far more recognisable." He clicked the buttons on the two cases and stood back. "Gone was the black and grey, replaced by blue and grey. The next iteration featured a different symbol. The one after that introduced the yellow symbol which I absolutely detest but you seemed to like it father."

Bruce grumbled. "Superman said I was too dark. So Alfred helped me redesign."

"Is everybody ready to laugh?" Damian revealed the next suit and blinded everyone. 

"The rainbow suit you wore when I broke my arm!" Dick marveled at the eyesore.

"Don't remind me." Bruce held his face and avoided Selena's teasing. 

"The next is darker blue and darker grey. It's most notable use was when father had his back broken by Bane." Damian explained. 

Terry looked to Tim for an answer, Tim nodded and shrugged. "The guy who Bruce chose to replace him was an ass."

"Here comes the good shit." Damian unveiled the next costume in all it's dark glory. "When Azrael was given the boot. Father wore this. Despite the yellow eyesore, this suit looks fantastic."

Damian went through the next few suits, he explained their significance and the trials they went through. From Batman Incorporated to the classic suit and Hellbat suit Bruce donned after Damian's death, and the Haz-Bat suit that occationally got broken out of there was a containment issue. Terry was full of questions, especially about the horrific injuries and ressutections, but decided against asking any. 

"This suit will always be my favourite." Damian revealed the lighter suit at the end of Bruce's line. "The incorporation of purple from your original suit and the yellow only around the symbol was fitting for your last ever suit father."

Damian bounced over to the next line of cases and revealed all at once. "Batman's first partner. Robin. Richard's suits are a constant up down in quality. The short shorts of the first Robin costume, the absurdly high collar of the Nightwing costume." Damian paused to let everyone laugh at Dick's expense. "The glider suit. The finger stripe suit, my personal favourite. Richard's Batman suit when he took me as his Robin. The red Nightwing suit that was awful, and finally the last Nightwing suit. A culmination of all previous iterations."

Dick smiled and touched the first Nightwing suits glass. "You all make fun of this, but it was iconic. The chest was low because I needed to move my arms further and the collar isn't as high as everyone thinks. It comes up to my jaw, not above my head." Dick's defense was futile, everyone shook their heads and followed Damian to the next exhibit. 

"I give you all: Barbara Gordon, the first batgirl." Damian announced, his showmanship increased with each case. He was clearly enjoying himself and embracing the tour guide role. "The homemade costume that she refused to let be updated. The black and gold costume she wore when she finally let Alfred make her a new one. The last one is a risk on my part, I made the suit based on designs you had for a third iteration before your incident. I hope you don't mind Barbara."

The blue and grey suit looked better than Barbara could've ever imagined in real life. She toyed with the idea of returning to her original colours. But she had no need for it once she became Oracle. "It looks better than I thought in real life. Thank you Damian." She smiled and looked up at the glass. 

Damian paused in front of the next set. "Don't get mad at me Jason. But I made one addition because it's important to remember all of our history." Damian unveiled the suits one by one. "Jason's robin costume, with slightly longer shorts than Richard's. Slightly." Damian revealed the next. "Jason's Hush Robin costume. Then the first Red Hood costume, I made the leather jacket from scratch because I couldn't find the same one anywhere else. After that is the original Red Robin costume. Restored from the designs that were scanned when Timothy took up the mantle." Damian grimaced as he revealed the next. "Jason's batsuit."

Terry gasped and craned his neck for a better look. The red eyes and devilish horns were a terrifying spectacle. 

"That's what you wanted the design for. Still looks badass." Jason mused. 

"Then we have the most memorable Red Hood suit, which I also had to slave away on and make from scratch. The mask featured is actually the one I stole from you years back." Damian chuckled. "And lastly your current suit, the only one to feature a real hood."

Jason hummed and pursed his lips. "My outfits ain't bad. I had a better evolution than Dick." 

"When were you Batman?" Terry asked. 

Jason laughed and Tim grimaced."Did you get to the part where Bruce died in the journal?" 

"Yeah, the last thing I read was when Jason got put in prison." Terry sensed he had still to read something important. 

"You'll see." Tim patted his shoulder. 

"Kate, I would've given you more room." Damian started. "But you only ever had the one suit design." Damian unveiled her case with the solitary suit. 

"A soldier wears a uniform." Kate pointed. "That was my uniform. Unchanging, simple and couldn't be ruined by too many redesigns."

They walked back down to the doors and turned themselves to the opposite wall. "Duke, your suits. Starting with your makeshift Robin suit through to your current one. I also added the redesigned suit you were working on, I built it for you, field ready, so count that as your Christmas present." Damian turned the case clear and revealed another yellow suit, that was slimmer and more streamlined than the rest. The bat symbol stretched to his shoulders and had a thicker black outline. Terry noticed that the most notable difference was the cowl. Where the previous iterations had helmets, this one had an attached cowl that had an open head. 

"Like Kid Flash." Terry remarked. 

Duke nodded and looked over his new costume with admiration. "Did you need to adjust anything?" 

"No, your designs were perfect." Damian confirmed. "I hope you know that you're losing a layer of protection by switching to this."

"All that armour was because Bruce was worried." Duke turned and raised his eyebrows. "I needed something more lightweight and flexible. No heavy helmet or padding."

"Now, next is a suit worn by two people." Damian stood in front of the cabinet Terry knew well. Tim's, and most recently Terry's, Robin suit was back in it's case. "The first suit to have trousers and the first Robin suit to feature inbuilt electronics."

Damian looked at Terry and nodded. "Also the suit I stole." Terry squeaked. All eyes turned to him for an explanation. "I saved a man by distracting Jokerz, they chased me to the gates, Bruce saved me, I saw a bat in the clock, I stumbled down here and took the suit so I can do good and save someone else's family and inspire people like me to be better." Terry forced out in one breath. 

"Nice!" Duke smiled.

"Why did you take that suit?" Selena asked. 

Terry giggled nervously. "I wasn't gonna wear booty shorts and the ones down the end were either too small or had a skirt." 

"It's not a skirt!" Damian screamed. "Why does everyone call it a skirt? It's a long tunic."

"He might've been talking about mine." Steph offered. Terry shook his head and shared a stifled laugh with her. 

"Moving on." Damian growled through gritted teeth. "Tim's suit to honor Superboy. The first suit to have long sleeves. Timothy's chosen batsuit from before Richard took up the mantle. Then Tim's overhead cowl Red Robin suit." Damian clicked the next button and frowned at the suit in front of him. "What the fuck is this?" He asked aloud. 

"That's the suit I kinda dreamed up and wore on the unternet. I had an actual version made up but never wore it. Cassie sent it over last week when she found it." Tim shrugged. "I thought I'd slip it in."

"Timothy it has finger stripes!" Damian gasped. "And a completely unique mask. My lord I bet you look gorgeous in this, why did you hide it away?" 

Tim pulled a face. 

"Well that suit was followed obviously by this one." Damian revealed Tim's glider suit. "The most technologically advanced suit in here." Damian stifled a laugh at the next case. "Terry you'll laugh at this one, but you need a story first."

"Don't." Tim sighed. 

"Around a year after I became Batman, Tim had a bit of an identity crisis. He kept going on about how he didn't really finish his time as Robin and maybe he should tie up loose ends." Damian explained. 

"I'm begging you not to." Tim pleaded. Steph grinned with all her teeth and bounced with anticipation for the laugh she knew would come. 

"He knew he couldn't use Robin formally, so he did this." Damian revealed a suit identical to Tim's original costume. The gauntlets were heavily armoured and contained his computers. "He wore his original costume, but with two Rs instead of one."

The room fell into hysterics. Tim backed through the group until he was behind everyone. 

"But enough about Tim and his midlife crisis." Damian held Cassandra's hand and pulled her to the front of the group. "We're moving onto the real reason behind me showing you this today specifically." Damian huddled into the group and let Cassandra take the lead. 

"When I leave tomorrow. I'll still be wearing this suit." She pointed to her one long term costume. "They might not call me Batgirl over there, it doesn't matter. Gotham needs a Batgirl." Cass walked over to the next set of cases and revealed Steph's Spoiler suits and Robin suit. "You're Spoiler, these are your suits. But me and Barbara had a conversation and we got Damian to make you something for when I'm gone. Blame him if you don't like it. It's something we all wanted you to have."

Cassandra revealed a new suit at the end of Stephanie's line. It was predominantly black, but with Steph's staple eggplant colouring running down the side panels and cape. The gold glistened in the light, around the belt, around the leg strap and around the symbol. The symbol Steph had never worn before, but always deserved.

Steph started to cry, she fell into a crouch and buried her face in her hands. Cass crouched too and held her close. 

"Jeez I'm sorry." Steph sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Just means you're really leaving. It's finally hit me." 

"I'll be back in no time at all." Cassandra wiped Steph's tears.

"I fucking love the costume." She chuckled with a shaky voice. 

"They let me have free reign in the design. I incorporated your Spoiler costume, Cass' Batgirl suit and Barbara's suits." Damian added.

"You'll do great Steph." Barbara held both Stephanie's and Cass' hand. "Our symbol." 

Tim nudged Terry who was looking away. "Are you crying?" Tim whispered. 

Terry nodded and nudged Tim back. "Shut up, you are too."

"Damian, will you finish this tour so I can stop crying please." Steph choked out. 

Damian stepped to the front again and revealed his own set of costumes. "My league suit to start, then my makeshift Robin costume. My first official costume that Richard helped make." Damian eyed Terry with a warning look. "And my last Robin costume with the long tunic, not a skirt. Then lastly my Batman costume." Damian puffed up with pride and shined the glass of the suit with his sleeve. "The superior Batman suit, the perfect balance of light and dark. No colour, or flashiness. Just a weapon and its wielder."

"God you're up your own ass." Jason snorted. 

"I always liked the yellow oval." Tim interjected. 

"So what are those few down there?" Terry asked, he was gradually coming out of his shell around the intimidating group. 

"Glad you asked." Damian went through the cases and revealed each one. "This is Harper's Bluebird costume, I'm sure you'll meet her soon. The Batwing suit. Jean-Paul's Azrael suit and Batsuit. Huntress' suit. And mother's Catwoman suit." Damian paused and touched the final case. "Jim's Batman suit."

"Just the one suit Selena?" Dick asked. The black skintight suit was one of Selena's more basic iterations. There was no shine, or flash to the garment. No purple or seductive cutouts. Just plain black and stealthy, the sign of an older, less playful Catwoman.

"Yeah I didn't want to be a feature in this. Damian asked, I said no. So just the one suit, my last one." She answered. Her face was peaceful, she fully accepted that that part of her life was over for the most part.

"You did great work here son." Bruce leaned on his cane for a closer look at Azrael's suit. "The attention to detail is amazing. This took a lot of effort and time."

"Making these suits is incredibly therapeutic." Damian nodded. "There is one more I need to make. Isn't that right Terry." Damian reached behind a set of display cases and pulled out a covered stand. "This is my final render for Terry's suit. Possibly my best work yet." He said while pulling the cloth from the picture. 

Terry's face had been digitally remade and put onto the suit. It was remarkably similar to Tim's original suit. But Terry appreciated the differences: the armoured shoulder pads and finned gauntlets, the elbow pads, the lack of external underwear. His trousers would be black, instead of green, but with green highlights around the kneepads and boots. He wanted to try it on immediately, he itched to wear it and don his very own suit. He had a suit, that would one day be in the display room, labeled as Robin VI. 

"Schway." Terry muttered. His eyes were still glittery and fixated on the render. 

* * *

The bats filtered out of the cave and went their separate ways. Tim took Barbara home, Cassandra and Steph went into town, Dick and Duke sat in the living room to have a catch up. Kate said her goodbyes and promised to have a proper catchup with Bruce soon. Terry was left with Damian and didn't quite know how to leave. 

"Damian-" He started. 

"Would you like some lunch?" Damian offered. 

"Look I'm not exactly comfortable with everyone, it's a little much." Terry's eyes darted to his left, where Jason was sat staring at him. 

"Stop it Todd!" Damian scolded. Jason plucked a cigarette from his packet and marched past the pair. The door slammed hard and shook the house. 

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I did." Terry ran a nervous hand through his hair and stared a hole into the rug. 

"It's not you." A rumble came from behind him. "He doesn't agree with putting kids in the line of fire."

"I put myself in the line of fire. To be honest Mr Wayne, I'd do it without Damian's permission too." Terry confessed. Damian and Bruce shared a knowing look. 

"He won't hurt you. If anything I think he'd be over protective." Bruce twisted his cane and sighed. "I'll talk to him later." He dreaded the potential fight that could result from today.

"Maybe I should?" Terry perked up. In his spur of the moment decision, he thought that if the words came from him then Jason would understand. 

"These are people you'll be working with. If you think that's best then go ahead. Shout if you need me." Damian rubbed Terry's back. Bruce scowled at Damian, but was met with a facial expression that said: 'I know what I'm doing.'

"I'll stay for lunch if you want me to. No big portions though please. I'm stuffed with the pizza I had for breakfast." Terry grinned and winked as he walked out through the kitchen to the back door. 

"He's a good fit." Bruce admitted. "He's getting comfortable already. I like him, he reminds me of you all." 

"That's what I thought when I met him." Damian smiled. 

* * *

Terry slowly approached the hulking figure. He was hunched over and surrounded by smoke in the cold air. His head twitched in Terry's direction; his approach was heard. 

"You're an idiot." Jason mumbled. "I like you, but you're one hell of an idiot."

Terry tittered and sat on the wall next to the man. "I thought about having one of them earlier." Terry motioned to the cigarette. "I was so stressed and nervous. I looked at my mom's and really thought about it."

"Don't smoke. You can't be Robin and smoke. I did, but I was like that. Then some things happened and stuff like alcohol and smoke don't affect me as much. Any poison for that matter. The blessing of rebirth." Jason remarked. He flicked the cigarette away and looked Terry dead in the eyes. For a moment Terry got lost in them, there was a pain behind them that threatened to spill out. It was obvious to Terry that his eyes were probably once beautiful and full of life. Now, they still had the same life, but it was behind a mask of suffering. "You shouldn't be Robin at all."

"Look, I don't know you" Terry started, he muddled through the tangle of words in his brain and picked out what sounded best. "But this is what I want, I begged him to let me keep doing this. It felt good helping people. I'm a criminal myself. I want to do something with my life to make amends. I want to stop people like the ones who killed my dad and brother."

"There are other ways you can help." Jason offered. The sentence sounded hollow and deceitful straight away. 

"If there were other ways to help that work, then why do you still do what you do?" Terry quipped. 

Jason coughed and laughed bitterly. "You got me there."

"You don't have to agree with it, from the little I know about you I get why you wouldn't. But please give me a chance. I'm going to do my best. Help me be my best?" Terry held out his hand in a formal handshake. 

Jason took it and bit his lip. "I think you're making a mistake. I think Damian is too. For the love of God, prove me wrong. Stay safe." 

"I will." Terry grinned childishly. He won over one bat, now he had to win over the rest. 

* * *

"So you could still steal things you wanted to? Like, obviously you were that good." Terry asked eagerly. 

Selena waved her hand and smirked. She was enjoying being the center of attention. "Well yes, but if I got caught I'd ruin the entire family. I'll stick to antiques. I'm finally getting a reputation for something other than criminal offenses." 

"I wouldn't encourage her either. Your wallet will disappear." Bruce nodded. "Has Damian told you how he's training you yet?" 

"No, he said he's working on it. It's bullshit because I know what he's doing, he's banning me from doing the actual stuff for so long. I bet he expects I'll just give up on it." Terry ate the last nibble of his sandwich and shrugged. 

"He does not." Damian said as he walked in. "And you will be doing the actual stuff early on, but under my strict supervision." 

"So are you gonna tell me how I'm being trained?" Terry asked eagerly. The thought of being out there again made him tingle with anticipation. 

"The long way." Damian set down his bottle of water and clasped his hands in front of him. "Father taught Duke in a rush, I want to train you in a more traditional way. Your suit will have no tech in it, only infrared and starlite lenses and a commlink."

"Why?"

"Because if you start with technology, you can rely on it. Once it gets taken away, you're fighting handicapped." Damian explained. Bruce and Selena both nodded in agreement. "I'll be doing only a small part of the training, the rest of the family all have something special to give. Each will train you in a different way. Kate will teach you field techniques, sign language, strategy and discipline."

"Is she ex army?" Terry asked with a perked eyebrow. 

"Yes. Her wife will teach you about yourself, and self reflection. Jason will teach you how to build strength, so will Barbara."

"Wouldn't Barbara be better to teach me about computer skills, she is Oracle?" 

"No Timothy will be teaching you about tech, stealth and weapons." Damian corrected him. 

"Jason is obvious, but Barbara back when she had use of her legs would break treadmills. But that isn't the point Terry." Bruce leaned forward. "It's mental strength too, Barbara and Jason have been through a lot and are still going. Jason in particular had made leaps and bounds in the last few years."

"Duke, Steph and I will mainly teach you how to fight, we will do the bulk of the work. I decided that us three would be able to give you the most comprehensive start. Cassandra will be back after 6 months, she will teach you about reading people and instincts. I may take you to Hong Kong to get her to teach you that early on. Dick will teach you acrobatics and flexibility." Damian pointed to the older couple at the table. "Father will teach you how to be a detective, how to escape anything and how to resist torture and interrogation."

"I'm going to be tortured?" Terry panicked. 

Damian shook his head. "Hopefully never, but it's better to know these things rather than be unprepared. Mother will teach you about breaking into places, avoiding security cameras and how to stake out a building before entering."

"That all sounds like a lot. It's gonna be years before I do anything useful." Terry groaned and kicked the floor with his boots. 

"Staying alive is useful! Doing the job properly and safely is useful! Me being able to protect you is useful! " Damian growled. "I told you, it's my way or you don't do it. I will not let you get hurt and if that means years, then so be it." 

Bruce and Selena shrunk back and looked between themselves. Damian's outburst had fully exposed his protective feelings.

"I'm sorry." Terry mumbled. 

"Don't be. If you pay attention and give it your best then it'll be about one month before I take you out for real world experience. You won't be doing anything like taking down the Scarecrow, but you'll be helping on the lowest level and shadowing me doing investigations." Damian's demeanour became relaxed again, seeing Terry listen and understand the severity of the job soothed his anger.

A text interrupted the silence that had fallen. Terry flipped his phone over and sighed. "My cab is here. I guess we lost track of time." Terry shrugged on his jacket and put his plate in the sink with the others. Damian led the way to the front door where Duke, Jason and Dick had come to see him off. "It was nice meeting you all. Thank you for making me feel welcome. I guess I'll see you all soon." He waved and walked out to the cab. Damian waited until they had driven off to close the door. 

"He's very polite. He's all handshakes, table manners, pleases and thank yous. No need to house train him." Selena remarked. 

"That was Warren." Damian said sadly, he remembered the story Warren told about his Irish grandmother who instilled a strict set of manners into him as he was brought up. "So no one thinks this is a mistake? Because I feel good about this. Really good." 

"As long as you don't go wrong the same way I did, then it'll be fine." Bruce reassured him. He placed a hand on Jason's arm and nodded to his son. 

Dick grinned with pride and nodded at Damian. The day had gone better than Damian had hoped, he knew the hard part was over. Training would be easy, for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I head canon damian preffering dark batsuits rather than the yellow symbol ones. Just me.
> 
> The suit I described for Duke is the one we briefly see him wearing in Bruce's vision on Endgame. Personally I think the helmet looks clunky and the kid flash style mask+band he wore as Lark looks so much better. 
> 
> Also, isn't Haz-Bat suit the best wordplay? For context it's from the amazo virus storyline. 
> 
> Terry's suit will be the one Tim is currently wearing in continuity. If you look up Tim drake rebirth robin suit then you'll see the one (from the new young justice). Tim's Robin suit is the 90s og one that the rebirth one takes the inspiration from.


	76. Last Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm really ill at the moment. So you get a little chapter to keep you interested.
> 
> Im halfway through the next and it's a big boi but I feel like shit right now so writing is off the table.
> 
> Enjoy!

Damian met Cassandra in the dance hall. The air was thick with the dread of her impending departure. Damian had known of Cassandra's plans to move to Hong Kong for months. But it didn't make it easier for him.

They nodded and warmed up together. Stretching and limbering up. Cassandra slipped into her pointe shoes and flicked through her phone.

"How about we do that piece we choreographed to Swan Lake?" She asked quietly. Damian nodded and assumed his position in the middle of the room.

The sweet music filled the room, Cassandra stepped up beside him. Their arms danced in unison, swaying like water. It was a perfectly synchronised movement when they stepped on pointe to the side and flowed across the floor.

Their hands rested in each other's, like all the times where their blind trust and bond had made them one.

The music swelled and Cass tore herself away. Damian's hand was left empty, and his sister was twirling away. Unreachable. A sick perversion of what was happening later that day.

Cassandra's eyes never left Damian's, he could see the wetness glistening on them in the first rays of sunlight. He imagined his own eyes looked the same way.

They moved around the room but never came any closer, the space kept them apart despite their outreached hands. Then as quickly as the music settled, it rose up again.

They raced towards each other. Damaim caught Cassandra in the air and held her up. He thought of the many times they had held each other emotionally and physically. He lowered her and stood back as she whirled round. Her hand was once again in his as she held her arabesque en pointe and Damian walked around her. The movement said so much: 'I'm here for you. I'll hold you up.

The next steps were unbearably hard for Damian to move into. They were once again in perfect unison. Damian thought it was a poetic feat. When were they not moving in unison? They fought, sparred and danced like one spirit forced into two bodies.

The reverence was a solemn one. Damian's grace faded away as he crumpled onto the floor and held his face. 

Cassandra shut off the camera and pulled Damian to his feet. 

"I'm going to miss you so much. I've lived with you nearly everyday for 14 years, Cass." Damian mumbled.

"First Steph, now you. Will everyone stop crying? It's a 6 month trip then I'll be back for the wedding." She scolded. "You won't me so much when you get used to it."

"You're my sister Cassandra. I'll always miss you if you're away." Damian chuckled breathily.

* * *

Breakfast was a lighter atmosphere, Cassandra was thankful. Selena had compiled a list of sightseeing destinations and restaurants for Cassandra to visit. Jason and Steph arrived with treats from the bakery they all loved in the Lower West Side. 

Tim and Cassandra shared a look when they both noticed the painful, forced smile gracing both Bruce's and Damian's face. Cass shot Tim a text explaining what happened in the dance hall. 

Cassandra was grateful for the lack of tears while eating. Had her trip been years back then the commotion wouldn't exist. But the bonds she'd formed and strengthened, the way she became a cornerstone in her family's lives made her leaving much less bearable. 

She excused herself to pack the last of her things. Her room looked bare with all the boxes. Cass was leaving certain things, but most of her wardrobe and photos were coming with her. For a moment she remembered how resistant she was to personalising her room. How even months after moving in, she didn't dare to even change the awful curtains. Now her room bloomed with her things. They covered her walls and filled every corner. 

She picked up one of the many ballerinas Damian had carved from wood for her and put it in the box. She couldn't take them all, but at least one could sit on her bedside table. She scouted the walls with darting eyes and chewed over what photos to take. 

She selected a few off the wall. A few family photos, and other pictures featuring her siblings and Steph. She knew she'd selected too many photos, but she couldn't go without seeing them everyday. 

"Knock knock."

Cassandra was so lost in her photos that even her trained ear didn't pick up the footsteps. 

"Don't cry." She warned Bruce and pointed. "Damian already did." 

"I thought Duke would be up here." Bruce mused while looking at the pictures with Cass.

"Duke, Tim and Steph already said goodbyes. They said they didn't want to drag it out today." Cass answered. She moved the box aside and patted the bed for Bruce to sit. "I didn't realise everyone would be sad. It's not long."

"You're important to them. You're important to all of us." Bruce sat and twisted the cane in his hands. He always hated goodbyes. 

"Do you think it's the right choice? Should I come straight home after the operation is finished?"

Bruce shook his head. "You do what's best for you. They're sad you're leaving, but we're all happy for you making important steps in your life. It's all up to you. You're allowed to put your life first."

Cass frowned deeply and stared into the rug. 

"I'm proud of you Cassie. The way I've seen you grow makes me feel even older. You've grown into a smart, beautiful woman." Bruce held her small hand in his. "I don't need to worry about you, you've never failed at anything you set your mind to. You have more than my trust, you have my faith."

Cassandra yanked him into a hug and clutched the back of his jumper. "Thank you." She buried her head in his shoulder and smiled wider than she had in years.

* * *

"Right, we have two crates of bombs. Two crates of batarangs. 30 deceleration lines. Another 30 high speed lines." Damian read from the list while they all combed through the equipment that was leaving with Cassandra. 

"That's all there." Tim resealed the crates. "What about the long distance glider?" 

"That got shipped over with the last batch." Damian turned on the bike with his fingerprint and revved it a few times to be sure it was in working order. "I think that's it."

"The plane's tank is full and the solar panels are working properly." Steph wiped her hands. "She's all set."

They stepped off the plane's cargo hold and watched Cass help Bruce down the stairs. Cassandra's stubbornness outweighed Bruce's tenfold. He was being helped down the stairs whether he liked it or not.

Selena was the first to hold Cassandra's hands and wish her luck. 

She worked her way down the line, tenderly wiping tears away and showing her affection. 

She touched Dick's chest. The heart of the family. 

She held Jason's hand and curled it into a fist. He was the brawler. 

She tapped Tim's head and smiled mischievously. He was the thinker. 

She trailed her fingers around Duke's eyes. He was the one to see clearly.

He hand braced Damian's, like an arm wrestle. He was the strongest ally and friend.

She had no special sign for Steph. She just pulled her close and stroked through her hair. "Go get them Batgirl." Cass whispered. Stephanie laughed through her tears and smacked Cass on the arm. 

She stepped into the cargo hold and turned to the group. Her index finger, thumb and little finger were extended. Her middle and ring finger pressed into her palm. She held it out to everyone and smiled. 

<I love you.>

The jet hovered into the air and blasted away through the tunnel, leaving the family one member down, for now. 

* * *

"Cass just texted!" Tim shouted. The rumble of footsteps was instant. To call it a 'herd of elephants' would be an understatement. 

After Cass' departure in the morning, spirits had risen. Dick stayed for lunch and had a long overdue catchup with Damian. Steph stuck around to torment Jason. The soreness of missing their sister faded away from everyone, the more they carried on. 

The family gathered around Tim's spot in the living room and begged with their eyes. 

Tim indulged their eagerness. "She said she's all settled in. To her apartment and her nest. She's going to get some sleep and adjust." Tim showed them the selfie Cass took from her apartment overlooking the city skyline. Bruce gladly gave her the penthouse he owned, however it made Damian complain to no end about how he had to buy Drake Manor with his trust fund. 

"Aww that's great." Selena cooed. "Tell her we love her and wish her luck." 

"Do you think she can get my ebay parcels delivered quicker?" Jason asked. Duke scoffed, then a look of pondering struck his features. 

"I'll go with Selena's option." Tim laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love the bit in batman and Robin eternal where she reads dick, tim and jason. But in my continuity, the events don't take place becuase she was already a part of the family. It was nice to incorporate it.


	77. Evaluation Day

"Good afternoon McGinnis." Damian greeted from the doorway of the Manor. Terry waved and pushed his bag further up his shoulder. "I trust you didn't exert yourself too much today?"

"Nope." Terry popped the 'p' and grinned. "I'm full of energy."

"Very good." Damian ushered him inside. "I thought we'd start with a tour of the Manor. After all this will be a pseudo home for you."

"Schway." Terry slipped his shoes off and put his coat in the cloak room.

"You've already seen downstairs and the cave, so we'll go upstairs." Damian led the way up the grand staircase.

Terry took in the new scenery with awe. The chandelier in the entrance hall was dusted and shined to perfection. The banister was waxed and reflective. He felt as if he shouldn't dare touch it. "Did your sister have a safe trip yesterday?" He asked.

"Yes she did. Thank you for asking." Damian stopped at the absurdly long hallway and held his hips. "First things first, that side of the Manor is completely closed off." Damian pointed to the left wing of the house. "The earthquake in 2008 did some damage to the entire house. This side is fully rebuilt from scratch and is the side we prefer to live in."

"So what's wrong with that side." Terry also pointed to the left wing.

"Nothing. But it'd be twice the house to clean and we have no use for it" Damian's smile faded but was quickly replaced. "Right, now we have the bedrooms."

Damian walked a little way to the first door. "Richard's room. Kept as is for when he and Bea come over." Damian actually opened the next room and let Terry take it in. "This was my old room, Rocky sleeps in here, he misses Titus and refuses to let me take his bed out. I'd rather it be gotten rid off."

Terry looked around the room and took in the space. A few easels were propped up in the corner with half painted canvases. The furniture and decor was not what Terry expected from Damian. It was simple and plain. There were no personal touches or items to mark ownership. Terry noticed the way Damian looked longingly at the empty dog bed on the floor, he opted not to ask any questions.

Damian left the door cracked open and quickly explained that Rocky pushes it open and nudges it shut when he's occupying the room.

Damian knocked on the next door and waited for the call.

"Come in." A deep voice shouted.

The door swung open on a room much more lived in. The walls were full of posters and passages of writing haphazardly blu tacked to the wall. A figure swung their chair round and smiled widely at the pair.

"Duke, I'm giving Terry a tour." Damian announced.

Terry felt the awkwardness creeping up again. He waved and tried not to look at anything for too long in case it would be seen as rude.

"Well you can come in here anytime so long as you knock." Duke offered. "I promise we're not sad, we just still live at home because Damian makes a good breakfast."

Terry snorted and covered his mouth.

"I'll leave you to your writing." Damian waved and closed the door behind him. 

Terry couldn't prepare himself for the shared bathroom next to Duke's room. He gawked at the huge bathtub set at the rear of the room. "That thing is huge." Terry gasped. The shower enclosure was equally as impressive, it could easily fit 5 people and all would be able to move freely.

"Yes it is. Me and Timothy regularly use it for a long soak." Damian added. "You should try it, you never want to get out."

Damian opened the doors to his current room. Terry now saw where the personal touches from Damian's last room went. The bright space was filled with pictures and canvases. The beautiful paintings of scenery and family members extended across the entire wall into a space that was separated off by a half-wall. Damian quickly placed his hand over a picture before Terry's eyes landed on it.

"That is a personal drawing I drew for Timothy years back." Damian clarified. "I should probably take it down if you're going to be here more often." He took the drawing off the wall and shoved it in a drawer.

"This is your wardrobe?" Terry gasped. The mirrored doors revealed rows and rows of clothes. More than Terry had ever owned in his lifetime. He flicked through the garments and accessories. Terry picked up a pair of shoes and chuckled. "Is Tim the size 9 shoe?" Terry asked while stifling a laugh. "Dude's got small feet."

"We both have actually. Me and Timothy are the same size shoe." Damian scowled. "He regularly steals my shoes and wrecks them."

"I'm gonna steal your shoes. You're only a half size bigger than me." Terry laughed and put everything as it was.

"I hate you." Damian huffed as they made their way back to the hallway. "Just don't ever touch my Dior boots."

"You love me." Terry called over his shoulder. 

Damian went down the corridor pointing out Cassandra's, Bruce's and Steph's rooms. He clarified that Steph keeps a room here just in case of emergencies, but has her own apartment in the city. He stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor and looked sternly at Terry.

"This is Jason's room. Under no circumstances do you ever go in here. If you need Jason while he's here, you knock and he'll come out into the hallway. You don't not come in here. Do you understand?" Terry nodded quickly. "If you hear screams, don't worry. And if Jason does ever invite you in, you don't touch anything or ask questions."

"Got it." Terry confirmed.

"He's not here often but this is a safe space for him. His fortress of solitude as it were." Damian smiled. "We all respect it." Damian pointed to the door directly opposite and stood Terry in front of it. "The same way we will respect your space."

He pushed the door open to reveal a blank room. Bed, wardrobe and desk. "This is mine?" He asked with a perked eyebrow.

"Yes. I doubt you'd get much use out of it, but if your mother is ever away and you don't want to stay alone, then you have a room here." Damian showed him the en suite and had to painfully explain what the bidet built into the toilet was used for.

"One last thing." Damian stopped at the small staircase leading upwards. "Please do not go up there. The servants would live upstairs and my Grandfather's room is up there. Please do not go near it, it's barely been touched since he passed."

"Absolutely. I get it. Mom's like that with Matt's room." Terry looked down and bit his lip.

"Last thing is to tell you how to get into the cave." Damian took him to the upstairs study where he showed Terry the secret button to open the bookcase. He explained that the poles led directly down to the armoury area. They reached the living room, where Damian explained the significance of the time the hands had to be set to to move the clock.

"This living room used to be the main study and the dance hall was the living room, but Richard informed me that after the earthquake they switched this to a living area to be more comfortable." Damian explained. "Entrance hall, living room, dining room, kitchen. It's cosier as Timothy put it."

They walked the steps down to the cave. The journey was becoming more and more familiar to Terry.

Tim stood in the middle of the training platform, he was drenched in sweat and practically steaming in the cold cave air. He stopped for a moment to greet the pair and used a towel to dry his face.

"Evaluation day!" Tim cheered. "You excited?"

"Little bit. Hoping I don't fuck up." Terry admitted.

"Don't worry about it." Tim waved him off. "We only want to see what you can do, doesn't matter if you're just a normal kid or a trained from birth demon child." Tim and Damian shared a chuckle. "Go show him around Dami, I'll get set up."

Tim left, and Terry tried his luck again. "Can I call you Dami?" Terry asked. "Bat-Dami. Dames, the Dami-meister?"

"Fuck no." Damian growled. He took Terry to a lower platform to the showers.

"Does everyone shower at the same time?" Terry stuttered.

"Yes. But I get that you wouldn't feel comfortable with that at all. Rightfully so. So you can shower in your room for the most part, but if it's sewage, or anything like that then it has to be down here. Someone would stand outside and keep guard for you." Damian explained.

Terry chuckled. "I have to shower with loads of other people in physical ed classes. It can't be so bad."

"I trust you brought something to train in?" Damian asked, looking at the bag still dangling from Terry's shoulder.

"What do you guys usually wear?" Terry asked carefully.

"The girls usually wear sports bras and leggings or shorts. The men would wear shorts, leggings and a vest. But usually shirtless." Damian clarified. "But if you're uncomfortable with that, again I'll make adjustments. I can ask everyone to cover up a bit more." He was quick to add. Terry was grateful that Damian was being accommodating, as needless as it was. 

"No no, that's cool. It's all fine. I brought shorts, a vest, a t-shirt, my running shoes, and a tracksuit just in case. Oh, and my own towel." Terry patted his bag. "I was planning to ask to steal a shower anyway. Mom thinks I'm practicing track today."

"Good boy. You came prepared." Damian led him back up the stairs to the lockers. "This is yours. Complete with your own R design." Damian pointed. Terry marvelled at how his own design looked printed on the booth. "And quite obviously the curtain closes on the booth next to it so you can change privately. But if you want to do that alone then just say and everyone would clear out for you." Damian opened the locker door. "I've got to run a mission with Wonder Girl and Superboy, so Tim will be doing your test. Quite honestly you'd probably prefer that, I'm worse than a drill sergeant."

* * *

Terry was still stretching when Tim arrived back at the training platform. Tim studied the boy for a moment and took in his movement. 

_He's flexible already. And knows how to warm up too._ Tim thought. 

"So Terry what martial arts do you know?" Tim asked when his mental notes were completed. 

"Muay Thai, Judo and a tiny bit of Karate, just the basics really. Not much but enough to win me fights in juvy and take down a few Jokerz." Terry shrugged.

"Would you rather start with fighting or endurance training? Both are equally as exhausting but you'll get a break between them." Tim offered the choice. 

"Fighting." Terry quickly confirmed. "I hate running and stuff, my endurance is crap. I'm a sprinter."

Tim waved for Terry to follow, he opened the door embedded in the cave wall. The area inside was clinical white. The only deviation from tiles was the large touchscreen panel on the wall. 

"We call this the Mudroom. We replicated Clayface's cell structure and now we can program it for ourselves." Tim tapped at the panel and clicked his tongue in thought. "We'll start with one guy at a time, then we'll maybe move up to two if you're up for it."

Mud spilled up from a hole in the floor and grew into a faceless assailant that stood in a neutral position. 

"Full disclosure." Tim started. "This is being recorded and an AI will be tracking you to map your fighting. It'll then tailor programs to you personally. Are you okay with that?" 

"Yeah yeah. Sure." Terry poked the mud figure and recoiled when it was solid and warm like a real body. "These ain't gonna splat everywhere if I hit them are they?" 

"Why don't you try it." Tim waved at the figure. "Just as it is."

Terry pulled his fist back and punched the figure as hard as he could. The clay pushed back against his fist, but the shock was absorbed so he didn't hurt himself. He tried again and threw some testing jabs. 

Tim watched Terry's form carefully as he tested the figure. He noted how Terry didn't pull much power from his hips and didn't keep his wrist locked properly all the time. Tim typed into his tablet and started to take notes. 

Tim knew his next move was evil, but he couldn't help himself. He moved to the panel on the wall and instructed the clay figure to throw a simple jab. 

Terry was blindsided, the clay fist pummeled his nose and sent him staggering back. Tim's laughter bounced around the room. 

"Hey!" Terry rubbed his nose and threw his middle finger up at Tim. 

"I'm sorry." Tim loaded up the 'untrained assailant' program. "Get ready. This is an untrained opponent. Use all you know to take them down.

The figure moved in an uncanny human way. It moved back some paces and waited for Tim's go ahead. 

"I'm ready." Terry spread his feet apart and held his fists close. Tim started a countdown the second it hit one Terry tensed. It was needless. The figure moved slowly, like a drunkard or zombie.

Terry grabbed the figures arm and moved it across himself. He held its neck and placed his leg behind the figure's. The smallest amount of force sent the figure to the ground. 

_Clean. Very clean._ Tim remarked internally. 

"Judo. Very well executed." Tim congratulated. "What belt were you?" 

"Purple, Junior 10th degree. The teacher said if I waited a little longer then I'd be promoted to a senior rank when I was 13. But then I fell in with the trouble makers and told my dad I wanted to stop." Terry kicked the floor. "Stupid decision."

Tim noted it all down on his file and clicked his tongue. "What about Karate and Muay Thai then? How far did you get there?"

"Only a white belt in Karate. That was the first martial art I tried and I didn't much like it. I just thought the karate kid was cool. And I got taught Muay Thai unofficially by an actual Thai friend I used to go to school with. He was amazing and taught me all of the basics and sparred with me. I know all the eight points of attack. He helped me develop a mean front kick." Terry explained. 

"Show me that." Tim commanded. "Treat this like a real fight. I want to see you keeping your guard up and putting power behind it all."

Terry obliged and assumed his position. The clay figure stood neutrally in a semi-defensive stance. Terry breathed deep and launched his leg into the figure's stomach. 

Tim nodded proudly and revised his previous notes. Terry's lack of power was born of laziness. Once he was instructed to put everything behind it and mean it, the power came naturally. Tim made some more notes and studied the teen carefully. 

"Tell me more about this friend of yours who taught you. He obviously taught you good form and a proper stance." Tim asked curiously. 

"He was great. He moved into the apartment below us with a foster family." Terry mused. "He was so shredded I asked him how he got like that and he told me about growing up in Thailand and learning to fight from pretty much a baby. He offered to teach me after school." Terry chuckled. "God he was great, he was so happy and clever. The cheekbones of a god and the longest eyelashes ever. You wouldn't believe it. I wanted to be just like him. I wanted my body to look like his, I wanted to be all mature like him. Then one day he told me he was leaving, the family were adopting him but were moving to upstate New York." Terry paused and realised he'd talked so much about the person and not enough about the Muay Thai. He giggled nervously and shrugged. 

Tim chewed back a grin. "I'm supposing you didn't get to the complicated stuff."

"No. Just some elbow stuff. Low and body kicks. Blocking hits and defensive stuff, Kasem gave me everything I needed to fight some mugger if the situation came. I even taught him some Judo stuff but it was kinda ineffective, he was beyond that and it didn't help him much in the grand scheme of things." Terry smiled to himself and remembered the way they'd train in the unused laundry room then see who could get upstairs the fastest when they were called for dinner. Warren used to be all for it, but Mary would often say that children should play and that 12 years olds shouldn't be fighting. 

"Sounds like a real friend, or otherwise." Tim nodded. "Let's get on with this so we can get you home on time." 

Terry battled the clay figures with increasing pace and skill. By then end of Tim's combat analysis, Terry had worked up to the 'Henchman' difficulty and took down two before the fatigue caught up with him and he took too many hits to carry on. Tim kept his eye trained and took more brief notes throughout, noting the weaknesses and impressive strengths. 

Tim let Terry have his break as promised. He handed Terry a bottle of lucozade and some sugary sweets to give him a small boost. Tim continued to take small notes to add to Terry's profile. 

Terry huffed and guzzled some water. He tied his laces up and plopped down into the rowing machine. Tim told him to go at whatever pace he liked, just as long as he reached 2km. 

The vest Terry wore was fully drenched in sweat by the time he finished. He laid on the floor and chose to ignore Tim laughing at his expense. The cool metal of the cave platform was too soothing for him to worry about Tim's enjoyment of the sadistic test. 

However, Tim was gracious enough to give Terry a few minutes to catch his breath before he was put on the treadmill. 

Before long, his legs were searing with white hot heat, he couldn't even feel the treadmill beneath his feet. He was working on sheer determination. The determination to please and to put his best foot forward. 

The second he hit 1km, Terry hit stop and fell to the floor. His breathing was erratic and painful. 

Tim applauded Terry and grinned with all his teeth. After torturing him on the rowing machine, the goal was to see how far he could run while running on nearly empty. Tim expected 400 meters at a maximum from someone who is athletic like Terry anyway. 

Tim's heart warmed in an odd way. The pride he felt wasn't just because Terry had done well. But rather, his pride came from a source of wanting Terry to do well. He'd never felt this way before. Tim had never wanted someone to succeed in such a pure and unfiltered way. 

He looked down at Terry, who was still recovering sluggishly on the floor. Despite his obvious pain and exhaustion, the widest grin was spread across his face. It was infectious. He wanted to give Terry a hug and gush about how well he'd done and how proud he felt. He almost felt like -

 _No!_ Tim commanded himself. _Don't entertain that Tim._

"Did I do good?" Terry breathed out when he'd finally risen to his feet again, with the aid of the treadmill to hold him up. 

"You did great. As far as preliminary tests go, yours is fantastic. There was some more stuff I wanted to do, but you've shown me enough to warrant an early finish." Tim clapped Terry on the back and led him up the steps to the computer. He allowed Terry to take the comfy seat and drink some water.

"There's just one more thing I need you to do. You can sit there and do it, don't worry." Tim pulled up the paper file on the desk and handed it to the exhausted boy. "It's your contract as it were. We need explicit consent for certain things. And it must be written." Tim frowned and twitched his lips. "It didn't used to be this formal but we've evolved and it's best to do it just in case."

"Blood tests?" Terry asked curiously. 

"Yep." Tim confirmed. "Weekly blood tests to screen for diseases, infections and other nasties. Another thing, it's optional, but you can choose to actually give blood for us to store for transfusions. Jason, Damian and Duke can't actually share their blood and I have AB negative blood type so mine has to be bought. Very expensive"

"Hey! I'm O negative so you can have mine. But that's also not that common so you're kind of in the same spot." Terry exclaimed joyfully. He ticked the box and signed his name. "I get the tracker, for safety and all. But where is it gonna be put?" 

"Forearm." Tim answered. 

"Does it hurt?" 

"Yes."

"I'll take it." Terry laughed. "Don't wanna be sold and end up in Russia or Peru or wherever." He finished signing the documents and handed the stack of papers back to Tim. 

"Put your hand there." Tim pointed at the panel built into the desk. Terry did as he was told. "Look at the blinking light." Terry looked into the light as it flashed. The panel vibrated and the light flicked off. Tim typed something into the computer and hummed. "Now read the sentences as they appear. You'll do it three times one shouting, one normal and one whispering."

Terry looked at the screen and repeated the wordy sentences as they came. He didn't quite realise how loud he had to shout until Tim waved his hand upwards.

"There you go, you're an official bat. All in the database. Finally, this is for you." Tim placed the latest model of Waynetech's flagship phone on the desk and slid it over. "It's your own personal Batcomputer. It scans evidence, takes encrypted calls and is the way you should contact any of us with casework. Tap the side of the phone 4 times and say 'fairbanks' to enter bat mode."

"Thanks!" Terry frowned. "How do I explain it to mom?"

"Damian took you on a tour of the quality control facility and one of the employees called Mrs Phillips was so kind as to give you this as a gift." Tim pulled a knife from nowhere and nicked the metal on the side of the phone. "See? It had a defect and would've been recycled otherwise."

"Sweet." Terry turned the device over in his hand and smiled at his own reflection in the glass back. "I'm gonna hit the shower then get changed. Give me a ride home?"

"Of course." Tim nodded. "Go, I've got to put my report in your file."

Tim made a new folder under members labeled: Robin 6. He linked his tablet up and dropped the file in. He enlarged it and proofread it to be sure he got everything:

> **Initial Fitness and Competence Assessment**
> 
> Subject: Terrance McGinnis
> 
> Assessor: Timothy Jackson Drake
> 
> Date: 3rd November 2024
> 
> **Subject details at time of assessment:**
> 
> Height: 5 foot 5 inches
> 
> Weight: Approximately 110lb (Unclear) 
> 
> Age: 14
> 
> Body Type: Slim, Fairly Muscular, Low Body Fat %
> 
> **Combat:**
> 
> Terry displayed a competence in Judo. He successfully took down his first practice assailant cleanly and efficiently using his skills. He continued to display an understanding of using an opponent's momentum and technical knowledge of his martial art. 
> 
> Terry's initial testing punches were sub par, he displayed a mediocre skill and technique to start but soon picked up and focused when pushed by myself. 
> 
> Terry's knowledge of Muay Thai is impressive. While it is not customary for someone of his age to be practicing two martial arts at one time, the story he told about his learning of Muay Thai gave the indication that if the teaching is more personal he will learn better. His front kicks and stance are a perfect start that he can learn and improve from, given the right teacher. 
> 
> In total, Terry cleared 52 assailants ranging in skill before I stopped the program. He was fatigued and his technique started to waver around the 30th assailant. 
> 
> **Endurance and Fitness:**
> 
> Terry set a steady pace for the rowing machine. I knew he was an athlete already so I tasked him with 2km rather than the standard 1km we use. 
> 
> He completed the 2km in 14 minutes and 47 seconds which is an incredibly impressive time considering his depleted energy. 
> 
> I bent the rules and allowed him a short 1 minute break before the treadmill because I added another kilometer onto his first task. 
> 
> Terry exceeded or rather shattered my expectations for running. He completed a full kilometer in 15 minutes at jogging pace then nearly fell unconscious. 
> 
> I left the high intensity kettlebell workout and the ropes because I had collected enough data to form a conclusion. 
> 
> **Other notes:**
> 
> Terry is far more comfortable kicking and taking an opponent down fast rather than a fist fight. We may need to look into weapons or advanced batarang training. To train someone out of that mindset is a difficult task and possibly a needless one. I suggest we double down on kicks and make it a staple of his training. 
> 
> He has a good understanding of stretches and warm ups, so we can remove 2 hours of training him just for that. 
> 
> He will require training in how to breathe through his nose more. He seems to breathe through his mouth fully the second he starts to fatigue. An easy fix. 
> 
> His need to push and prove himself is comparable to Damian's need at a similar age. Despite his admission of being a sprinter, his endurance training exceeded expectations. It is admirable but could do him damage if not kept in check. Reassurance and praise will curb him and stop him from developing an injury or bad habits. This is my essential demand for his training, his well being must not be harmed because of his need to do well. 
> 
> **Conclusion:**
> 
> I believe Terry, with the exception of Damian, has the largest head start for the role of Robin. He already displays a good knowledge of fighting and has far more athletic skill than me, Jason or Steph when we first began our training. 
> 
> He displays no bad habits that are unfixable or any detrimental weaknesses. His desire to please and do well is obvious, but must be monitored carefully so he doesn't push himself too far as I suspect he would. 
> 
> If he sticks to a rigorous training program and keeps his heart in it, I believe he can rise to a level greater than any of us did at his age. 
> 
> **Proceed With Next Phase: Yes**

* * *

"Terry!" Mary tapped his cheek and held his nose until he roused from the deep slumber he'd settled into. 

"Jeez mom." He sat up and scratched his hip where deep lines from the blanket had indented themselves. 

"You said you were going to the Wayne's for brunch." Mary chirped. She placed a glass of water on the table next to him and ruffled her hand through his tangled dark auburn mass of hair. "Maybe you should invite them for dinner. Maybe just Damian and Tim. I can't cook for the whole lot of them." She rummaged through the box of clothes Terry kept close to his bed-sofa and pulled out some of the smartest items he had. 

Terry almost laughed out loud at her naivety. She was so happy that he was going to a nice brunch and not to train to be a night time vigilante. Terry was glad he left his training clothes at the Manor after Tim offered to wash them and put them in his wardrobe. He didn't need to sneak a bag out. 

"They'd love that mom. I'll ask them." Terry yawned. He dunked his feet into his fluffy slippers and shuffled off to the bathroom. When he returned, Mary was already hauling the ironing board from the cupboard to straighten the creases out of the shirt she picked. "Mom, I'll do that, don't worry." Terry offered.

"No. Sit." She commanded. "You've been doing everything around the house for me. The dishes are done, the floors are pristine. Let me iron a damn shirt. I'm your mom and you seem to be taking care of me." Terry obliged and sat promptly back down on the sofa. He sipped his water and flicked through his social media feeds. It was just a shirt and trousers but he still felt guilt grip his heart. 

"So." Mary said as she leaned behind him to peer at the screen. "Got a girlfriend yet?" She asked bluntly. 

"Nope." Terry laughed. 

"Boyfriend?" 

"Nope."

"Spouse? Partner?" 

"Nope. No." Terry grinned and raised his eyebrows at her. 

"Good. 14 is too young." Mary tutted. "You need food and a good education. So help me god Terry if I become a grandma before I'm 50, I'll lose it."

"Moooom." Terry whined. He took the freshly ironed shirt and trousers and trapsed off to the bathroom. "Please don't. Dad gave me the same speech."

* * *

"Why the fuck are you wearing a shirt?" Tim giggled. Terry scowled at Tim as he walked through the door and removed his shoes. He anticipated the questioning, his hair was even neatly combed and hair sprayed into place. He was the image of a bright young man who most likely attended a private school. His friends were from old families and they offered him holidays on their own yachts. He looked the complete opposite of Terry McGinnis. 

"I told Mom I was going to brunch. She forced me to look smart." Terry sighed. He roughed his hair up with his hand and let the strands dangle and curl across his forehead. He threw a middle finger up at Damian who scoffed at his appearance and started to turn the hands of the clock. Would it always take him this much effort to lie? 

* * *

The next month flew by for Terry, his training was a sluggish crawl. It barely got off the starting line. His days were filled with grapple training, batarang throwing and busy work. He had to memorise his utility belt, take it apart and reassemble it perfectly. He was made to stitch up fake wounds, until Damian savagely cut his own arm and made him stop the bleeding and stitch it himself. He couldn't believe the way Damian opened his arm without flinching and essentially put his life in Terry's shaky hands. 

But still, the month flew by. Despite the mundane tasks and lack of real fighting. His eagerness couldn't waver, not yet. His work hadn't gone unnoticed. He read the reports the family made on him and revelled in the tons of 'ticks' and lack of 'crosses' on the boxes asking if he could do something. 

Terry didn't sleep anymore, how could he? How could he waste that precious time he could be utilising to further his progress? Press Ups, sit ups and pull ups were the first activities to gnaw away at his dream time. He would slip out of the flat silently on his increasingly quiet toes and jog up and down the stairs. Over and over until his legs burned, only then would he collapse and rest. His comfy 8 hours of sleep shrunk to 5 hours on the best days, 3 on the worst. Other days he might meditate for hours after working out and pretend to Mary that he'd only just woke up. 

He had to go and buy an intensive moisturiser, under Tim's advice. The extra showers he was taking were catching up with him. Large patches of dry skin had formed where the oil had been stripped away. Tim had noticed. Terry quickly realised that Tim seemed to notice everything, even the smallest changes. He thought that perhaps the others did, but Tim was far more vocal and simply pointed things out as they came. 

The new pills Damian had given him were making him feel odd. He was told they were a combination of vitamins and substances that he needed to build a tolerance to. Naturally, he had freaked out. But Damian reassured him that they all take them as a precaution so they could resist fear toxin, joker toxin and other things that could kill them. After the first week of terrible coldness and a paranoid feeling, he returned to normal. 

On the chilly Sunday night of December 1st, Damian called Terry to the Manor for important business. Mary was packing a bag for a week-long work retreat, leaving Sunday afternoon to accommodate the drive to New York. She trusted him to stay safe for the week and asked Damian and Tim politely to check in on him everyday. They were more than happy to, because he'd be living at the Manor for a full week. 

Terry noticed the Rolls Royce parked across the street, even if Mary didn't. With a kiss on his cheek and stern word to be good, she pulled off in the direction of the highway. It didn't take long for the Rolls Royce to replace the empty parking space. Tim slipped out of the car and smiled awkwardly. As if he hadn't been technically staking out the apartment. 

"Couldn't have picked something low key? Like a Volvo or a BMW?" Terry groaned. He motioned for Tim to follow him up the stairs and let himself back into his apartment. 

"This is as discreet as we've got. Could've brought the Mclaren if you wanted to ride in style." Tim shrugged and looked around the flat. 

"What do I need to bring?" Terry asked. He pulled the duffel bag onto the couch and began to load it with lounge clothes and his dressing gown.

"Toothbrush, underwear, socks, a week's worth of clothes and whatever stuff you want to pack. It's up to you, just make sure you've got clothes for school." Tim said while holding up a beaten down Batman t-shirt and eyeing it with amusement. 

Terry snatched the shirt. "I love this shirt. Damian wants to watch his back, one day I'll steal his suit too and put him to shame." He chuckled and held the shirt to his chest. "I'm Batman." Terry growled comically. He packed his fluffy slippers to finish and zipped the bag closed. He wrote a small note to Mary explaining that he was staying at a friend's house in the Upper West Side and Damian knew about it. It was a contingency just in case she came back early. Contingency plans, Terry understood more and more that they were integral to keeping his secret and keeping his mother safe from the knowledge that could put her in danger. He hated lying to her, lying to her landed him in juvy. Lying to her caused the rift that had only just healed when tragedy forced them back into eachothers daily lives. 

Terry could hardly sit still through the short drive. He was buzzing and itching to know what was so important. 

Tim took notice, and took delight in knowing what was to come. It was horribly enjoyable for him to watch Terry squim and a vibrate with excitement. He should've been over it by now. Each time Terry showed up for training he was overflowing with energy and vigour. But it was warming to see someone enjoying life so thoroughly. 

If Terry could've jumped down the cave stairs, Tim reasoned that he most likely would have. 

Damian stood in costume side by side with Bruce. Terry stopped in front of them and said his greetings politely. 

"So whaddya need me for '' Terry stuttered out all too quickly. 

"For you." Damian handed Terry a box and smiled uncontrollably. 

Terry ran to the lockers. In a blink he was gone, excitement fuelled his pace. Tim knew the feeling well, he held Damian's rough gloved hand and waited for their protégé to return. 

He's seen the work Damian put into the gift, long nights spent slaving away and many grunts of disappointment when it didn't go right. 

Tim knew the feeling Terry would be experiencing. The fluttering in his chest. The bubbling fear of responsibility pulling deep inside. The heavy steps he'd have to take to rise up the steps again, and showing his mentors who he was now. 

The footsteps were barely audible, only there to be heard by trained ears like theirs. The sound dampening tech in the boots did well. The squeal of excitement was much louder. It was childish and deadly infectious. Tim elicited a similar noise in his mind at the sight of the green and red. 

That feeling grabbed hold of Tim once more. Like a vice, over tightened and squeezing his heart. 

Maybe this feeling was the puppet holding the strings of his face. The strings that were pulling the corners of his mouth up to his ears and locking them in place so he couldn't ever stop smiling. 

Maybe this feeling was the reason his hand gripped Damian's too hard to be a normal situation, and why it made him feel so close to his lover that he feared they'd become diamonds if any more pressure was exerted. 

What was this feeling? How could he explain it? 

"Guys." Terry announced. He adjusted his low profile belt and patted each elbow pad. He struck a pose with his fists raised, combat ready. Tim's smile was returned. Blinding white rows of teeth with the sparkly braces and the softest look of happiness and belonging behind the whiteout lenses. "Meet the new Robin." Terry said, his voice was cracking and nervous but built on a foundation of strength and eagerness. 

Tim didn't expect the armoured arms wrapping around him and Damian. But he returned the hold with equal meaning, holding Terry's head in the gap between him and Damian. 

"Thank you." Terry whispered between the couple. "Both of you. For everything." 

Tim roughed up the boy's hair and patted his back. "You two better get going. Robin's first day out." He chuckled. 

Could he be any prouder? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really do get that this is a tim and damian fic, but the terry stuff is extremely necessary. I cannot stress how important it is for their relationship and it wouldnt take a genius to see where I'm going with it.


	78. First Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such an ingulgent chapter. Delving into Damian's Batman is so juicy and I loved writing it.

"This is so schway." Terry brushed the dashboard of the Batmobile and popped open the glove box to see what Batman could possibly keep in there. Snacks were not what he expected. But he pulled out one of the snickers bars and held it up to Damian in a silent question.

"Go ahead, I brought them for you anyway." Damian waved at the glovebox. "Truth be told I've never used that compartment anyway."

"I meant it you know." Terry started, he fiddled with the chocolate and looked down into his lap. "Thank you for this. I won't let you down." The hand on Terry's shoulder was grounding and warm.

"You could never let me down. You're learning Terry. You will make mistakes. You will hate yourself at times and be on top of the world others." Damian smiled under the cowl. "The last thing you need to worry about is letting me down. The point of Robin is to technically be my light side. To be the lighthearted, giggly partner who makes the gruff old bat crack a smile. Have fun Robin, that's what it's about." Damian slammed his foot on the accelerator and blasted into the cave tunnel.

Terry was thrown back into the seat. He stared wide eyed at the Star Wars like visual washing over the windscreen. The way the tunnel lights slipped past the glass, made Terry felt like they truly were moving at light speed.

As quickly as the awe and wonder came to Terry, it was replaced with crippling fear.

"Damian! Batman that's a wall!" Terry screamed. The stone dead end came rushing up to them, then vanished. Terry glanced over the road they were now on and looked back to where the wall should be.

"Hologram." Damian explained with a smug grin that Terry wanted to punch off of him. "I wanted to see what you did. Apparently it gets everyone. Don't worry, I turned off the transparency setting. When we go back, you'll see the cave entrance clear as day."

Terry breathed easier but still hated Damian's guts for scaring him. "Wouldn't anyone be able to see it with the right tech?"

"In theory yes." Damian seemed delighted by the question. "But it would take alien technology and a speedster. The Flash helped attune the hologram. You see, it's not static, it vibrates incredibly fast and can only be seen through when the right vibrational frequency is attuned to the mapping system in the car. You'll learn more about planetary vibrations when I explain the multiverse."

"The what?" Terry asked.

Damian flapped his hand and shook his head.

* * *

Terry twiddled his thumbs for most of the drive. The Batmobile cameras read number plates automatically and brought up files on the owners all by itself. He knew that the pedestrians weren't smiling at him. But even with the blackout glass, Terry liked to think he was part of the reason they saw hope and smiled at the sight of the Batmobile. 

The car was brought to an abrupt stop. Wayne Tower glittered a way down the road in front of them. 

"The GCPD?" Robin asked. 

"Yes I thought I was only fitting that my first meeting with the new commissioner was with you." Damian pulled out his grappling gun and pointed to the roof opposite. Terry copied and assumed his position next to Batman. 

They grappled up to a low roof opposite, then grappled again to the GCPD roof. Terry knew Damian wouldn't have done that any other time, but was grateful for Damian letting him take it slow. 

He didn't anticipate how bright the bat signal was. He shielded his eyes then remembered his starlite lenses and flicked them on. The light automatically balanced and allowed him to see again without squinting. 

"Commissioner Sawyer." Damian greeted, he shook her hand and smiled with the plastic smile Terry knew was a fake. A pleasant business look. 

"Batman." Maggie looked down at Terry and tilted her head. "I wasn't aware there was a Robin anymore." 

"There is now." Damian rested his hand on Terry's shoulder protectively. "Congratulations on the promotion."

"I wasn't the first they asked. But I'm more than happy to do it." She swept her hair in the wind. "It's a daunting job, and I know I can't mean as much to the city as Jim. But I'm going to do my best. I'll uphold his values and procedures. Including a working relationship with you and the rest of your family. Nothing will change, I promise." 

Damian nodded. "That's good to hear. One word of advice?" She nodded cautiously. "Don't worry about keeping everything as Jim had it. There's always room to grow, and so long as you don't make anything worse, then you're doing a good job."

She shoved her hands on her pockets and nodded thoughtfully. 

"I look forward to working with you commissioner. When you turn the signal on, we'll be here." Damian jumped off the roof and shot a deceleration line out onto the railing. 

Terry opted for the safer gliding option, as he was better at that in training. He dropped onto the roof opposite then back down to the Batmobile. 

"Good boy for taking the safe route." Damian said proudly. "I was wondering if you'd risk it."

"Not there yet partner." Terry said while he buckled his seat belt. "She seems nice."

Damian chuckled. "She is. And she probably knows who I am too. She's one of Kate's exes."

"Who'd they ask first. To be commissioner?" 

Damian looked at Terry with a less joyful look. "Barbara and Harvey. But they have their reasons for turning it down."

"So were you and Jim that close? It's obvious Bruce was." Terry poked. He wondered if he'd asked too much. 

"We were. It's hard being Batman when everyone knows you're not the real thing. Jim helped." Damian paused to take a corner. "It was inspiring to see a man so set in his morals like father but doing it on the right side of the law. He was truly a great man. I wish you could've met him. He would've reprimanded me for bringing a child into the field." 

* * *

The pair settled on a rooftop in the Bowery and surveyed the streets. Or rather, Terry surveyed the streets, Damian surveyed Terry. He wanted to see how he watched, what he was watching and how he'd react. 

"Those kids look sketchy. But they're so young." Terry pointed. 

Damian simply hummed. 

"Should we keep watching?" Terry asked. 

Damian hummed again, not giving away anything. 

_Let's see his instincts at work._ Damian thought. 

Terry scratched his head and shuffled along the rooftop to be closer. The group of youths chattered and huddled as if they were forming a plan. Terry noticed one throw a look over their shoulder that landed on the gleaming Mercedes parked by the cafe. 

"Batman I don't like this. I think they might rob the nice car over there." Terry pushed. "Should I go talk to them, see what they're doing?"

 _Good boy!_ Damian thought gleefully. 

"Do you think that's the right course of action?" Batman asked. 

"Well yeah." Terry shrugged. "It might be nothing. They might just be causing mischief, nothing harmful." 

"Go talk to them then." Damian waved in their direction. "I'll be close, because I want to hear you, but I'll be out of sight."

Terry nodded and used his deceleration line to lower to the pavement carefully. He walked silently up behind the group to catch the end of their conversation.

"You do it." One kid asked in a voice that was exceptionally deep for what looked to be a 10 year old. 

"I don't wanna. I get nervous." Another added. 

"Do what." Terry asked. The group jumped and backed up fast into the wall behind them. Terry raised his hands and took a step back. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"We're not loitering. We promise." The deep voiced boy said. "We were just choosing who'd go to the cafe to ask for some free food."

Terry felt the guilt fall heavy on his shoulders. He'd assumed the worst and jumped to conclusions. 

"Robin. In what you designated as your food pouch, there is a roll of cash." Damian's voice said quietly over the comms. 

Terry reached back and pulled the roll out. He flicked through the wad and selected $40. He placed it in the boy's hand and gave a reassuring smile. "Go on. Make sure it's at least a little bit healthy." 

The boys scuttled off and crammed themselves into one booth. The waitress grinned at Terry through the window and took the kids orders. 

"Good job." Damian said from behind him. 

"I feel bad. I assumed the worst, when all there were was hungry." Terry kicked the ground.

"But you wanted to talk to them first, a good instinct. An easy lesson to learn when you see it firsthand." Damian mumbled. "Not everyone is a criminal, some are victims. It's up to us to see the difference. The mission isn't crime centric. It centers around helping people. I'd much rather let a criminal get away, if I had to choose between them and someone who needed me."

"But with me, now you can do both." Terry threw a set of finger guns at Damian. 

Batman scoffed and chuckled. "Yes I can. It's why we're the perfect duo." Damian climbed up a fire escape onto the next roof, Terry followed promptly. 

"So how do you know when to put a crook down for the count and when to take the softer approach?" 

Damian hummed at the question. "For a long time I used to knock every criminal out, no matter what the crime was. Because I was scared I'd go too far and kill them if they got up again. But Nightwing was so shocked at it that I had to reassess. There wasn't a problem with it, but it really exposed what issues I still had to deal with."

"Is it hard to stop killing people? Red Robin wrote that Penny 3 used to say it'd be too easy to do but difficult to stop." Terry asked quietly. He was unsure of the topic. 

"It is. It's still my base instinct." Damian admitted. "But I was Batman at this point. I didn't want to be brutal and devilish. That's not who I am anymore. So I started to just put people in holds, cuff them, trap them. Anything so I didn't have to touch them. With time I got used to not knocking them unconscious the first chance I got." 

"I couldn't imagine killing someone." Terry started. "No offense but the thought makes me sick. I don't even want to kill the Joker or Punchline for what happened to dad and my brother."

_That's why you're already a better man than me._

"Good. Justice not vengeance. Remember that Robin. Justice not vengeance." Damian repeated. "Justice is fair trial, fair punishment and law. We work outside of the law to help uphold it. We're a necessary deviation from the book, to handle people that police might not be able to. Vengeance is an eye for an eye. Vengeance is consuming and drive people to extremes."

"Would you stop me from killing? Say I had a gun to Joker's head." Terry asked meekly. 

"No. Father maybe would. But I wouldn't. That's your choice to make. I'd react with an appropriate response, but I wouldn't stop you. I do advise against it, don't toy with the idea. It's dangerous. Once you kill someone, it's like a weight, attached to you forever and it never goes away."

"Do you feel it then? The weight." Terry asked. "How many people have you actually killed?" 

"Closer to 1000, I stopped keeping count around 300." Damian admitted. He wasn't going to lie. "And I feel it everyday. But I've changed. The lives I've saved make me strong enough to lift that weight. Robin and Batman is my way of making up for my mistakes. But I'll never forget." Terry's face was sympathetic, it was as if he was looking for the right words. "We treat each criminal like a human first. Some are victims of poverty, mental health problems or otherwise. With time you'll learn naturally how to gauge the situation and coordinate your response accordingly. Fairness, justice and compassion is what we work on."

"So what does Batman and Robin actually mean? Why are you Batman, not something else?" Terry asked. Damian chuckled, Terry was full of good questions. 

"I am Batman because like most sons, I wanted to be like my father. From when I was young, my mother told me stories of my father: The Batman. This suit is my birthright. But the message is not. Penny 3 vowed on his parents grave to spend his life warring on criminals. I am Batman because I want to carry on his work. I am Batman because I am the only person who can shoulder this responsibility, no one wants to be Batman, because Batman isn't a suit. It's who my father is. I uphold the spirit of Batman, but will never be the real thing." Damian laughed bitterly and adjusted the cowl. 

"And Robin?" Terry inquired. 

"Robin is different. Robin can be anyone's. It started as the nickname Nightwing's mother gave him. Robin was what Batman could've been. But I broke that tradition. Think of Robin as..." Damian thought for a moment. "Whatever you want it to be. My friend Maya, she's more like a sister, told me my 'R' stood for redemption. I killed her father but she saw how I'd changed. Your 'R' can mean whatever you want it to. And eventually, you might decide that an 'R' isn't right. Like Nightwing did. Maybe you chose to adopt an identity that mocks your enemies like Red Hood. Maybe you'll stick with Robin because it means a lot to you, like Red Robin."

"Maybe I'll be Batman. What if I wanted to be like you?" Terry beamed and cocked his head slightly. 

"You'll never be like me." Damian stated. Terry's face dropped. "You're already a better person than me. I want you to be so much better than me."

Damian stood and pointed north west. He shook his head in that direction and made Terry follow him. 

* * *

After an hour of observation and letting Terry explore the darker ends of the city, they settled on a fire escape in Coventry. 

"That's a brothel." Terry pointed out. 

"Very observant Robin." Damian chuckled. 

"Shouldn't we bust it? It's illegal right?" Terry squinted down at the girls but couldn't find any evidence that this was a crime. As far as he could tell, everything was presented as if it was a legitimate business. 

"There's a difference between illegal and a crime, Robin. The lady who runs that place is very protective of her employees." Batman explained. "I questioned each woman down there and they are all safe and enjoy their work. If the police decide to do anything about it then so be it, but I won't." 

"Do if someone breaks the law technically, but it doesn't hurt anyone, then we can turn a blind eye?" Robin asked in a high pitched voice. 

"Yes. Those women are well protected and do this voluntarily. I offered the opportunities away from their career and they were quite frankly insulted. Father took a harder stance on the law but I don't. If no one gets hurt, then I leave it. It's very rare though, there can't be a knock on effect. Pirate DVDs back in the day were harmless but still hurt the people that made the film for example." Damian pointed to the police officer leaving the brothel. "It all has to be carefully considered."

"But a homeless person stealing from a market, we'd still have to bust them?" 

Damian shook his head. "No, we pay the market and go to help the homeless person. We take them to a shelter and give them some cash to help."

"What if they spend it on drugs?" Terry pushed. 

"You can't control everything, Robin. Sometimes you have to point people in the right direction and believe in them." Damian smiled. "Like you. You ask these questions about what I do, but you don't have to follow my answer exactly. You could go down there right now and bust that brothel, I wouldn't stop you. I'm just pointing you in what I feel is the right direction."

"And you believe in me." Terry leaned on his elbows and faked innocence. 

Damian rolled his eyes and flicked Terry's forehead. "Yes, you imbecile. I wouldn't have paid for your schooling, let you know things about me or let you do this if I didn't believe in you."

* * *

The cupcake was forced into Terry's hand with a hot chocolate. The icing was decorated with little green and red sprinkles and a snowflake.

"Dude I'm not a kid. I can drink coffee." He groaned.

"Then I'll take that back then." Damian reached for the cup.

Terry cradled it close and pulled away. "I didn't say I didn't want it." He defended. He eyed the cupcake and pondered. "Is this supposed to mean something? Red and green?"

"The red and green is because you're Robin and the snowflake is because you're part Irish and pale." Damian laughed at Terry's scowl. "It's Christmas themed, you idiot. Although it does work out well." Damian laughed heartily and gulped his americano.

"Do you celebrate Christmas?" Terry asked. He crossed his legs on the good of the Batmobile and shuffled until he was comfy. "Are you, ummm." Terry was suddenly uncomfortable again at what could've been seen as a racist assumption.

Damian chuckled. "I do celebrate Christmas but only because the rest of the family does. I don't have a religion so I don't particularly care either way. Most people assume I'd be Muslim, maybe if my upbringing was different I would be." Damian half smiled. "What about you?"

"Well dad was a bad Catholic. Great Grandma was very strict but dad kinda gave up on it. I was baptised but it'd be wrong for me to say I believe in it." Terry took a bite of the cake and licked icing from the corners of his mouth. "I love Christmas. It used to be great before mom and dad got divorced. Massive tree, lots of lights and decorations. Mom forced us all to take pictures and wear horrible jumpers. Scented candles. Mulled wine. Candycanes. Mariah Carey! All of it! I'm kinda dreading this year though, just me and mom. It- it won't be the same."

Damian knocked their shoulders together. "Rather than thinking about what's missing, you could just cherish what you've got left eh?" Terry smiled and nodded. "And if you really wanted to, we have about 10 boxes of decorations and 6 trees that need putting up. Batgirl, the other Batgirl, used to do them mostly but she's in Hong Kong. You could do it if you wanted?"

"Hell yeah! You're the best!" Terry cheered.

"Do you have money to get your mother something?" Damian asked. "Have you been spending the allowance I gave you?"

"What now?" Terry said mid bite.

"When was the last time you checked your bank account?"

Terry gulped and pulled his phone from his secure pocket. "I don't, no money ever goes in there." He nearly dropped his cup when he saw the figures in the account. "$1000? For what?"

"You get $250 a week for damages, cover stories, lost items, anything to help you maintain the status quo of your normal life. It was in the contract." Damian explained.

"Take it back." Terry demanded furiously. "I don't want it. I don't want to be paid for this."

"Robin you might not understand it now, but it's important. There might be times when you need that as an emergency." Damian held his hand up. "If you want me to take it back then I will. But I'd advise against it."

"Could you at least drop it? So I don't feel like I'm using you guys." Damian opened his mouth to speak but Terry held a hand up to silence him. "It does not cost that much to keep an identity secret. You said to me if I feel uncomfortable with something then say so. I'm saying so. I don't like this."

Damian was stunned for a moment. "I-I respect that. Thank you for airing your concern." He cringed at his words and how formal they sounded. "What would you deem an acceptable amount?"

"$50 max. That'll be enough to replace clothes or stuff I lose. If I need extra I'll ask." Terry affirmed.

"Deal." Damian nodded awkwardly and sipped his drink.

* * *

The ride home was filled with as much wonder as the ride into the city. He couldn't help but gaze up at the building and wonder if anyone slept in Gotham. 

"Are we going out tomorrow?" Terry asked quietly. So he didn't disturb the cosy silence they'd fallen into.

"If you want to. But it cannot be with me. Me and Tim get one corresponding night off this week, we do try and spend it together." Damian glanced sideways. "Stephanie might let you tag along on patrol, or you could also take the night to breath."

"I'll take a night off. Suppose I should take them as they come." Terry ran his glove over the stitches in the seat. "Still can't believe I'm sitting in the Batmobile!"

"You won't be sitting in this one for much longer. I'm currently building us a new one. Me and Richard had our own one, I wanted to carry on tradition." Damian grinned and brought up a schematic on the holo projector.

Terry watched it spin and couldn't help but think it wasn't actually a car. Damian tapped again to confirm his suspicions. The holo-model transformed, wings spread out from the sides and the cockpit sprung open.

"That is so cool. A plane? Can I fly it." Terry asked eagerly.

Damian turned slightly and scowled. "I fly the planes."

He saw Terry off to his room and filed his short report for the night. Damian was overcome with pride and a full feeling. As he hit enter and began to strip his uniform off he couldn't help but wonder if all those years back, was Tim right? The night patrol had been one of the best he'd ever had, Damian laughed, nearly cried a few times and felt a little warmer in the winter air.

Was Tim right? Does Batman really need a Robin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up in no more than 5 days. This one was a little late beacuse I'm trying to catch up with myself and create a buffer of chapters for if I have a drop in motivation.


	79. First Week

**Monday**

Terry stood awkwardly in the doorway. The stares were pinning him to the spot. He could stand Selena's playful enquiring stare. He could stand Duke's smirk. But Bruce's stare was terrifying. It was devoid of emotion, except what Terry interpreted as annoyance. It was knitted in the deep lines of Bruce's face and the hard line of his mouth.

Terry was panicking. He hadn't done anything but walk from his room to the dining room. Damian said breakfast gets served at 6.30am. He arrived exactly on time. What had he done?

Damian walked in with a cafetiere in hand. Perhaps he would be Terry's saviour.

"You look comfortable McGinnis." Damian chirped. He also noticed the judgmental looks. "Stop staring at him, idiots." Damian chided, his earlier cheeriness gone in an instant.

"I wasn't judging." Selena defended herself. "He just took our house is your house to heart quicker than others."

Terry looked down at his attire and sighed. He wore only pyjama pants and a vest, finished off with his oversized dressing gown and fluffy bear claw slippers. He was indeed comfortable, but now he felt that his comfort made others uncomfortable.

"Sorry." He squeaked. Terry wrapped the dressing gown over himself and sat at the chair furthest from the group.

"Nonsense." Bruce huffed. "Just a shock, that's all. Duke was dressed in his best anytime he left his room when he first arrived. It's refreshing to see someone be at ease." Bruce's smile was so warm for someone so stoic, although Terry thought it may have been fake. "Come sit over here, don't be by yourself."

"Could you please tell that to your face next time father?" Damian winked at Terry and slipped back into the kitchen. 

Duke whispered something to Selena, something that caused one of the deepest eye rolls Terry had ever seen. "Duke wants a pair of the slippers." Selena sighed.

"Ebay." Terry smiled and tapped his feet unconsciously.

Damian returned with a platter of buckwheat pancakes. Tim followed with a tray of toppings and syrups. Terry's mouth watered embarrassingly. He had eaten mainly cereals for his entire life. This would be a true indulgence.

Terry was midway through a huge mouthful of syrup saturated sugariness, when Bruce decided to ask him a question:

"So how do you find school Terry?"

He swallowed and cleared his throat. "I umm, great. I love school. It gets a bit boring, math is a drag."

Bruce nodded. "You were out late last night. Was 4 hours enough sleep?"

Terry nodded and sipped his coffee. "I'm used to about 3 hours. I've been staying up training for the last month, a few sets of little exercises and some meditation. Little things. I usually catch a nap after school for an hour or two."

Damian's frown made Terry curl in on himself. "You needn't train more than I make you. Sleep is important." 

"Damian it's fine, I promise." Terry giggled. "I won't pull a Tim and fall asleep on a roller coaster or anything."

Duke's head bolted up from his plate. "You fell asleep on a roller coaster?" He gasped. "How do I not know this?" 

"It was meant to be a date. Needless to say it didn't go very far." Tim shrugged. 

"Because you fell asleep or because you're gay?" Terry blurted out. He covered his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut.

Bruce's laugh bellowed out magnificently, he sipped his drink and raised his eyebrows at Tim. 

"I regret giving you those books. Everything about my personal life back then seems so much more embarrassing compared to the me you know now." Tim pursed his lips at Bruce. 

* * *

Terry heard the car before he saw it. It was too late to turn back and jump the fence over the football pitch. He sighed and stood at the top of the stairs staring down at the dazzling green of Tim's Lamborghini Sián. 

The mass of students were all looking at each other, wondering why a car of that calibre was parked here. 

Tim pointed out the window and revved the car again for good measure. All eyes landed on Terry. 

He ran with it. He kept his chin up and avoided looking the gawking faces in the eyes. 

"You're such a dick." He growled at Tim when he settled into the passenger seat. 

Tim laughed and pulled away at a breakneck speed. "Damian said you were getting a cab back to the Manor, but I thought I'd come and give you a ride in style. It's not quite the Batmobile but it'll do." 

Terry sighed and fished the juice box he bought out of his bag. "Did you need to rev it so much?" He asked between slurps. 

"No but there was this blond dickhead, he must've just been bought a car by his parents or some shit. He had a dusty old camaro and was showing it off like it was fresh off the court, so I thought I'd explain in the manliest, neanderthal way that his little brain would understand, that my cock is bigger than his." Tim shrugged. 

Terry snorted and juice rocketed from his nostrils. He squeaked a laugh and dabbed the spillage in his lap. "Guess you don't like the popular chad type?"

"He was leering at this girl and touching without asking. She might not have emasculated him but I sure can." Tim grinned evilly. "Can't believe it's 2024 and people still can't bring up their kids to respect boundaries. Even respect in general."

"You sound so old." Terry tapped his phone off the dashboard and connected to the car by nfc, he scrolled for a song but then pondered over what Tim would like. 

"Behaviour like that is learned. Which means it's on the parents. It's not hard to bring up a child to have basic human decency." Tim peered over and looked at Terry's phone. "Just put anything on. As long as it's not country music."

"You tell 'em Tim. In Wayne Manor we respect people." Terry chuckled and offered his hand in a high five. 

"Yes we do." Tim slapped his hand off Terry's and pressed his foot down when they hit the Robert Kane memorial bridge. 

* * *

**Tuesday**

"Holy shit. He's so cute. Who's this?" Terry screamed. 

As part of his training, he had to review historic cases and get to know certain villains and types of criminals based on their actions. He also had to look through old Robin files, just to see some of the trials they faced. Terry started with the Robins, it seemed easier than diving into the gritty, stomach churning cases. 

That's when he saw it. The boy couldn't have been older than he was now. 14 at the most. But he had the chubbiest face, full cheeks and a crooked smile. The middle parting of his hair was obviously combed to tame the mass of curls. Terry thought he was the cutest. How could someone look so innocent and babyish at the same age he was? Terry liked to think he looked much older than his 14 years. He was betrayed by his braces but with his mouth closed he could pass for 17. The boy in the picture however, could be safely assumed to be 11. 

"That's me." Jason confirmed. He stepped up to the computer and looked into his younger self's eyes. "One of the first pictures of me and Bruce. Alfred wanted to take one before we went out as Batman and Robin for the first time." 

"You were the cutest. I swear. You weren't striking fear into anyone were you?" Jason eyed Terry with a dead expression. "Was your secret weapon being so cute, criminals wanted to swaddle you to keep your legs warm and give you some hot cocoa?" 

Damian guffawed from the platform below, the clank of a grappling gun prompted Terry to turn around and see Damian holding his stomach in a silent laugh. 

"You're such a little shit." Jason growled, his own strained smirk betrayed him. "I can't even call that an insult because you're so nice."

Terry noticed a quote below the picture. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "I'm Robin and being Robin gives me magic?" Terry read. He chewed his lip and begged his body not to laugh. "Magic? How old were you?" 

"14." Jason winced. "I had a shitty childhood, I was repressed so I was still childish at that age. Don't judge me." 

"I'm not judging." Terry snickered and zoomed in on Jason's smile. "You look so happy. Look at your cheeks! What did Alfred feed you?" 

"Everything. I was so malnourished when I got here that he made me eat 5 times a day. Whatever snacks I wanted he put in my room. I'd hide a lot of it, because I wanted to have some just in case they stopped feeding me." Jason's smirk fell away. "Alfred didn't let Bruce start training me until I was fat enough to compensate for the weight I'd lose."

"Sorry I brought it up." Terry mumbled. He zoomed back out of the photo and took it off the big screen. "I should be more sensitive to these things."

"Don't tiptoe around me." Jason lit a cigarette and stood at the railing. "I've had enough of that. You talking to me like a normal person is nice for once. Everyone else watches what they say just in case they set me off. They think I don't know but I do. No one has teased me for years. No one wants to be the one who sends me on a rampage and ruins the family dynamic." 

"Would you go on a rampage if someone hit the right nerve?" Terry asked. 

Jason scoffed and took a drag of his smoke. "I'd probably kill someone if they attacked me with a crowbar, stood in my room with a clown mask or something like that. Otherwise, no. I can take a joke. My ex used to push all my buttons, he wouldn't take any of my shit."

"You like guys too?" Terry gasped. He didn't mean to blurt it out like that. 

"Yeah? Me, Damian and Tim are like the gay Robins club." Jason scoffed and choked on smoke. 

"Open for applications?" Terry squeaked. 

"You what now?" Jason shook his head and focused his hearing. 

"I kinda like everyone. No gender preference." Terry forced the words out. 

Jason pulled an ashtray out of the desk drawer and sat next to Terry. The move was oddly warm and not like anything Terry had seen. The way Jason leaned forward seemed protective. "Am I the first person you've told that to?" Jason asked in a smoother, lower tone. 

"No, I told my Mom and Dad. They're fine with it, dad was fine with it, of course but no one else here knows. Or anyone at school. Tim probably has an idea because I rambled about some boy." Terry shrugged. "You don't need to be all nice about it. I don't hide it, but I haven't made the whole coming out announcement. I don't really need to, nearly half my year is bi, pan or otherwise." Terry whooshed some air out his lungs. "Wow that does feel good to say out loud."

"Good for you kid. You're still 14 so no funny business. Stick to being Robin with all that magic." Jason smiled. Terry noticed it was still slightly crooked and his cheeks still looked fuller when they were grinning. He stubbed out his cigarette and walked back down the steps. 

Terry knew he'd made a huge stride with his biggest critic. They had common ground. They were clearly more alike then Terry previously thought, and he couldn't be happier that he'd made another good friend. 

* * *

**Wednesday**

"Come on Damian." Terry tugged at his sleeve. A futile move. Damian stayed stuck to the seat. "Decorating the Christmas tree is meant to be a family thing. Bat family is still family. Come help me. I've drawn up plans and everything." Terry held up his L shaped device. "Look I made a thing that will help me space the baubles perfectly. 3 inches down, 3 across."

"This is why I'm not helping you." Damian sighed. He pushed the box of decorations towards Terry. "Tim will be home in an hour, he loves methodical work and planning like this. Jason has OCD, you should see the Iceberg Lounge, he'd do it."

"Go ask him then." Terry pointed towards the stairwell. "I need him to help me with the trees and ladder. I tried earlier and it fell on me."

"I'll make you a deal." Damian leaned forward and crossed his fingers. It was a gesture Terry associated with being given a challenge. Whenever Damian wanted to push him far out of the comfort zone he offered it as a deal, with a reward of something he wanted. "I grow tired of running around after you because you feel awkward treating this house as your own. If you go knock on Jason's door and ask him if he would like to help you, I will not only join in, but I'll give you a free demand. You can ask anything of me, no questions asked and I will honour your request."

Terry growled and gnawed at the inside of his cheek. He would feel so guilty even knocking on Jason's bedroom door. Especially after all Damian said about it being Jason's safe space. But a favour from Batman was priceless. To have all of Damian's knowledge, resources and skills at his disposal for one request was something nobody in the world had. 

He pointed at Damian and pouted. "I will be back, and you will adhere to my plans."

Terry stood outside the door for too long. How many times should he knock? What should he say? What if Jason was asleep? He tapped the door gently and stood far back in the hallway, closer to his own door than the one he knocked at. 

"Come in." Jason called from behind the door. 

Terry's brain stalled. "Come in?" He whispered. Of all the overthinking he did, he didn't entertain a single thought about entering. He was explicitly told not to. "Are you sure?" Terry called back meekly. 

"Why the fuck else would I say it?" Jason called again, traces of annoyance tainted his words. 

Terry turned the handle and gulped down his anxiety. 

He had no idea what he expected. Rough and ready Jason Todd could've had any room. Would it have been modern and slick like Tim and Damian's. Or would it be a messy bombsite that Terry previously thought would suit him? 

He was hit with the smell of peppermint, followed by something floral. Everything was shiny redwood, the 4 post bed, the bookshelf, the mantle and the bedside table. 

Bouquets of flowers were dotted around the room, they were fresh and vibrant. Terry noticed they were all the same colours, only purples, whites and the green to bulk it out.

The bookshelf was clearly the main feature of the room. Terry could not believe that Jason had read every book on the shelf. It spanned the entire wall: 10ft. It reached the ceiling: 12ft. It was full of books, small and large. Ordered by height in genre specific shelves.

3 different guitars hung on the wall. Black, white and grey. Terry was glad to see at least one of the family was a fellow guitar player. He wondered if Jason sung like he did, but he was keeping that card close to his chest.

Terry was truly lost for words. He had taken Damian's words about Jason's OCD for a joke, or a figure of speech. But looking at the desk where pens were organised by rainbow gradient, the way the shoes on the rack were spaced evenly and the way Jason watched Terry's every step into his sanctuary as if he'd ruin the space by breathing, Terry knew it was no joke. 

It all clicked in Terry's head now, he'd noticed Jason straighten things out without thinking, the knives in the kitchen, the batarangs in the cave and other little items around the house. He'd spent hours cleaning his guns while Terry was training, a pleased grin spread across his face when the chrome finish was gleaming.

"Did you come here to look around or did you need something?" Jason scowled and popped a bookmark in the novel he was engrossed in.

Terry averted his gaze away from Jason's bare chest and the nasty scars that came with it. "I umm, drew up some plans for how to decorate the Manor and the Christmas trees. Damian suggested I ask you. Said you might get behind my plans, they're really detailed."

He stood and placed the book in it's designated spot, then placed a slim sticky note on the wood in front of it. He walked up to Terry and made their height difference seem massive. 

Jason sighed a breath through his nose. "Sure. Although he's wrong about me getting behind it, there's nothing fun about when I have an episode and start from scratch." He chirped. He pulled a t-shirt and some socks from the drawer and sat back on the bed to put them on.

"Oh thank god you're not mad. I know it's wrong to assume you'd wanna join in just because you have OCD." Terry chuckled nervously.

"No, I wouldn't be. My OCD isn't a secret. Let me guess, Damian told you to not come in here and if you did, don't touch anything?" Terry nodded and perked an eyebrow. "It would be like that with anyone else but I like you so I'll forgive it occasionally. Please don't move anything though."

"I get it. You seem to be at ease with it." Terry risked a deeper question.

"I do get anxious if something is off. If someone switches something I start to panic. At restaurants or cafes I have to organise the coasters, condiments and sugar sachets before I can even start eating. One time I had a panic attack and fainted because someone, I think it was Bruce, fought a Talon into my room and knocked everything over. I walked in on Alfie trying to fix it, but it was too late." Jason explained happily, he selected a hoodie from his wardrobe and shooed Terry out of the room. Jason wasn't going to explain the real deep down reasons behind it, but he knew Terry wouldn't ask.

Terry wouldn't ask about how Jason's mind would tell him that's he'd kill someone and lose all he worked for if his gun wasn't clean to the point of seeing himself in its chrome. 

Terry wouldn't ask about how if everything at a restaurant wasn't straight, then the food would be poisoned and he'd die. 

Terry wouldn't ask about how whenever he had to inject someone, he had to tap the syringe three times with his nail or something would go wrong. His mom used to do that and the only time she didn't was the time she overdosed.

Maybe Terry knew, but he wouldn't ask about how Jason's hyper organised room was that way because it held his anxieties as bay so he could finally have time to himself without nasty thoughts clawing their way through his brain.

No one ever asks about the ridiculousness of those intrusive thoughts. No one ever understands how seriously Jason had to take them.

"Thanks for sharing." Terry knocked his shoulder off Jason's arm. "I know it isn't easy."

Jason scoffed. "Cut the bullshit. You're an ass, don't be so sickly sweet and nice. You ain't a therapist." He nodded to Damian who was smirking from the foot of the stairs and opened the storage cupboard underneath them. One by one he hauled the trees out and set of stepladders. 

Damian shook Terry's hand and began to pull the tree out of the box. Their agreement was fulfilled. 

* * *

It wasn't long before the Manor was transformed into a winter wonderland. Each tree was decorated to Terry's exact specification. Duke kicked up a fuss about how planning took the fun out of it, But it was three against one when Damian begrudgingly took Terry's side when he was glared at by Terry and his new bestie. 

Terry had pounced on Tim with childish enthusiasm, but Tim refused to help as politely as he could. The fatigue was rolling off him, Terry didn't push even though Tim was the man he wanted to do this with the most. 

He could swear he saw Bruce crack a smile at the glass snowflakes Terry hung from the chandelier. Maybe his eyes glittered at the swathes of green and red ribbon wrapped neatly over the bannisters and tied into giant bows at the end of the stairs. 

Terry wondered how many Christmases or holidays Bruce took over the years. How many holidays did he have to neglect his children for the greater good? Terry dreaded the answer.

* * *

**Thursday**

"Right now put more shoulder into it, really go for it." Selena rubbed Terry's shoulders and stood back.

Terry arched his arm through the air. The whip cracked and wrapped itself around the target's neck. He yanked the target back with a flick of his wrist and beamed at his handiwork.

"Could you not teach him that? When is he ever going to use a whip?" Damian sighed as he trudged up to the training platform. As moody as he was, he took the whip from Terry's hand and gave it a few testing twists. He eyed Tim on the platform below and nodded for Terry to follow. Mischief owned his features. 

He creeped up behind Tim and made a rectangle with his fingers. Terry took the command and pulled his phone out to video the prank. Damian arced the whip and wrapped it around Tim's legs. He crumpled forward and barely caught himself from landing on his face. 

Damian's laugh bellowed out, Tim's screaming was drowned out completely. 

"Watch your fucking back gremlin! I will get you back." Tim snarled and dusted his front off. 

Damian handed the whip back to Selena. "That was fun. Was it like that with father?" 

"Oh yeah." She chuckled then fell into deep thought. 

"Does that mean I can use it now. Dick has his sticks. Jason has guns. Tim has a staff and you did have a sword. Can't I have a signature weapon?" Terry's eyes were wide and his mouth turned down slightly. He blinked a few times and wetted his eyes so they shined in the cave lighting. 

Damian was taken aback. He could not believe Terry was giving him the puppy dog eyes at 14 years old. 

"No." Damian smiled and walked away. He held his gaze long enough to see the false look slide off Terry's face. 

Selena patted Terry's shoulder. "You'll have to try harder than that. Tim would fall for it but he won't."

* * *

**Friday**

Terry shined the glass and held it up to the blue morning light. "Perfect." He muttered to himself with a giant smile. 

Bruce hobbled in and scowled from the doorway. "What's all this?" He asked curiously, his voice was as gruff as ever. 

"I did the washing up!" Terry exclaimed. He waved his hand at the cupboards and held up the glass he shined. "And I put a load in the washing machine. I thought I should pull my weight properly."

"You did the washing up by hand?" 

"Uh huh." Terry nodded excitedly. 

Bruce shook his head and hobbled over to a cupboard door. He pulled it down and revealed a dishwasher, hidden perfectly behind the door. 

"Damn it! My hands got wrinkly for no reason." Terry sighed. Bruce pulled the drawer to his left open and held up a pack of marigolds. "Aww man! Well at least the living room was okay. After breakfast I gave the clock and coffee table a polish."

Bruce hissed through his teeth and looked down. "The cleaners are coming at midday. They would've done that."

Terry's mouth tried to force out a word. He looked defeated. "Seriously?" 

Bruce nodded and laughed a little. "Yes, but I appreciate you wanting to help out. Don't worry about pulling your weight. Just keep your room and cave locker tidy."

"I gotta get to school." Terry licked his braces and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I'm gonna spend all day finding something. I'm not living here for nothing, I will contribute something." Terry affirmed with a finger held up. 

"Pay one penny in rent then?" Bruce chuckled. 

"Don't take the piss Mr Wayne." Terry rolled his eyes and threw up a peace sign as he left. 

* * *

Terry unclipped the clasps on his tunic and slipped the armour over his head. He hung it up and peeled the sweat drenched undersuit off. His socks and underwear had to go too. He was still riled up and sweating now. 

Stephanie had taken Terry out by force. She walked into the cave and told Terry to quickly get ready. He indulged her despite the part of his screaming that he should go out without Damian's explicit permission. But Steph's massive grin and wide eyes were infectious. This wasn't training, or serious work, Stephanie wanted to let him have some fun. 

She left a note saying that she had Terry, then stole a Batmobile because her bike could not fit two. She ranted for 20 minutes straight about how Batgirl was the best thing that happened to her. She explained the news articles that pegged her as Gotham's latest fun filled protector. Some even called her the light to the previous Batgirl's darkness, like she was Cassandra's Robin of sorts. 

After getting to know Steph's fun side, he got to know a side he feared deeply. Her eyes were like needles, pricking all the way to his soul. 'I was going to be Damian's Robin.' She said in a grave voice. She explained how she asked for the job the very same night as Damian became Batman. Then asked every few months afterwards. Terry was going to ask about what she meant by causing a gang war, but she was already leaping from the car. 

'Race ya!' She called down to the car where Terry sat gobsmacked at her agility. He had no idea where he was racing her to, but yet again he found her energy infectious. 

He laughed all the way to Church in Coventry that Steph decided was her destination. He hadn't stopped laughing or running. First it was a race, then it was tag, then target practice, then a game of tag again. 

His only break was on the ride back. Steph reassured him, even more than Tim and Damian did. She knew how difficult it was being the new kid, and being Robin in odd times. 

Despite the fun. He was still soaking wet and was stinking up the locker room. 

He treated his trip to the shower like an eavesdropping task. He scouted for any occupants and scuttled into the cubicle nearest the lockers doors so he could make a quick exit. 

4am was not an appropriate time to be out until, Robin or not. Damian had been making sure he got enough sleep, and forced him to take the afternoon naps he shouldn't have admitted to. 

Damian's shower gel collection was impressive. Terry found it wasn't as impressive as his mother's love for every scent of bubble bath, but Damian brought was top quality. 

"He's rich, he would mind me using 5 times as much as I should." Terry said to himself under the stream of hot water. 

He wished he could sing, but he knew that'd wake someone up. The sensors were rigged to alert when sudden loud noises sound. 

Only when he looked as glowing as a lobster and had used half a bottle of the sweetest smelling body wash did he get out of the shower. 

He threw his palm up to his face and groaned. "No clothes. Fuck!"

He ran up the cave steps and tiptoed through the house as silently as he could. He held his breath nearly the entire way, hoping to god all vigilante ears were not listening to the padding of his feet and the flowing of his towel. 

He was very glad he packed his fluffy pyjamas, and very angry about the Manor's lack of heat. He would've lit his fireplace if he had any idea how to do it safely. 

"Can I come in?" The quiet dark voice murmured from the doorway. Terry turned to see Damian standing in the open doorway with his eyes covered. 

"I'm dressed, it's fine." Terry whispered. 

Damian unshielded his eyes and snorted at the oversized fluff Terry had covered himself in. He shut the door and walked over to the fireplace, he pressed the small panel at the side and set the electric fire to an ambient heat. "I assume you thought it was real, it actually just projects a hologram of a fire. I hope you didn't use all my body wash, it was a limited edition fragrance."

"Thanks." Terry sat on the end of his bed and fiddled with his hands. He didn't know what to say. 

"I'll let you sleep in until midday tomorrow. But you will get up and you'll be washing all the cars after you have your lunch-breakfast as a punishment. Do you understand?" Damian's voice was soft and not angered in the slightest. Terry was grateful. "I waited up for you all night, I knew Steph would keep you safe but that's not the point. I need you to tell me where you're going as Robin, no leaving notes or telling me when you're back. The tracker is for emergencies and our relationship is based on trust."

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you. It was spur of the moment." Terry felt tears welling up, he had fun but the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Damian.

"Don't take my leniency as an excuse to go off on your own. You're still not trained." Damian rubbed Terry's shoulder. "You've proven that I can trust you, so maybe you don't need to ask me to go out with another family member. But you do need to let me know okay?" 

"I will." Terry leaned his head on Damian's shoulder and yawned. Damian was warm and the muscle in his shoulder was like the perfect pillow. 

"Steph played tag with you didn't she?" Terry hummed. "She would often make me play with her when I was younger, she's quite hard to catch. Stay off your phone and get to sleep." Damian shook his shoulder only to get a sniff and a tiny snore as a response. He looked down and saw Terry fast asleep, nestled into his shoulder and hugging his arm. Damian sighed and maneuvered Terry under his duvet and tucked it up to the boy's chin. 

He stood in the doorway and listened to the whistle and sigh of his snore. Something felt wrong, and it made Damian panic. 

In the cold air he felt warm and short of air. It was intense. Pride and affection were lighting up his eyes and a strange protective beast was growling from the depths of his stomach. 

He shut the door and shook himself as he walked back to his room. 

* * *

** Saturday **

"Last day at Castle Bat! Hope I wasn't an ass." Terry chuckled as he packed his bag with his stuff. 

"Castle Bat?" Tim perked an eyebrow. 

"Yeah. This place is like a castle and we are all bats." Terry shrugged. He collected the Polaroids he accumulated over the week and slipped them into his coat pocket. Tim had lit up when Terry unpacked his little pocket Polaroid camera. He made a point of showing Terry his concept camera that Damian brought him. He took a hologram photo of himself, Terry and Damian. Then showed Terry how the live editing works, how he could take things out of the photo while it was displayed as a hologram. Naturally, Terry's first request was to get rid of his braces. 

"You could stay for dinner? I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind." Tim offered. There was a hint of desperation in his words, he didn't want Terry to leave. 

"No mom says she wants to talk to me about something. She's driving down now so I gotta get home and make the place look lived in, and get the coffee machine on for her." Terry hummed and zipped up his bag. 

"You weren't an ass. We've loved having you here. Anytime you need a place, just text and I'll come get you." Tim closed Terry's door behind them and walked down to the garage. 

The drive was short lived. Tim put his foot down and the traffic was sparse. Terry was home in minutes. Tim helped unpack his things and disposed of the contingency note he left. Tim put some groceries he'd packed into the fridge to make it seem like Terry did some shopping. The heating was on, the coffee was ready and Terry spent 10 minutes working his bed room-living room into a state of disrepair. Some chip packets, a half drunk bottle of soda and a pair of brand new socks Terry stretched and crumpled to make them seem worn added the final touches. 

"Tell Damian I said bye. I know he's off with Wonder Girl again but I really wanted to thank the both of you together." Terry's arms wrapped around Tim's waist and held him tight. "Being Robin is the best ever. Jason was right it is magic. You two, Jason, everyone, you're all so nice to me even though I'm new and kinda invading." Terry finally let go.

"You'll make me cry. I've been sensitive since 2018." Tim chuckled and blinked a few times. "I'll go. You stay out of trouble and take it easy. You've got training tomorrow with Bruce, so like... Prepare yourself."

* * *

"Hey mom." Terry jumped up from the sofa and hugged Mary. She combed through his hair and kissed his head gently. 

After the amazing week he'd had, Terry still missed these moments. 

"Were you okay without me? Did Tim and Damian come check?" She demanded while still holding tightly. 

"Yeah. Sometimes twice or three times a day and picked me up from school. Thanks for trusting me on my own." Terry rushed off to the kitchen and poured his mom a cup of coffee. "So how was it? Did you get lots of massages?" He asked while shoving the cup into her cold hands.

"Terry, I was honestly bored by the end. The socialising was great. We had fun over dinners and the little activities, but there's only so many times you can get a pedicure or a massage before it gets boring. Those hotel beds though..." She nodded and held a knowing expression. "Best nights sleep I've had in awhile."

"That's great mom, you deserve a break." Terry grinned. 

"I'd call it a calm before a storm, honey." Mary set her coffee down and pulled out her phone. Her eagerness was spurred on by Terry's confusion. "I lied, I've been back in Gotham since midday.".

"Mom what do you mean?" Terry shook his head. 

"Remember when we sold your dad's place and you said because my name was still attached to it that it was my money? Well I couldn't spend it on anything but you." She handed Terry the phone. 

He scrolled through pictures of a gorgeous brownstone in the Upper East Side. It was homey, complete with fireplaces and Victorian fittings. The area was just outside of little Italy, Terry remembered reading online that it was one of the Falcone family's treasured neighbourhoods back when they ran Gotham, all of the families prominent figures lived in the area. Terry saw the smaller bedrooms and imagined his bed there, maybe he could have friends over? He saw the master bedroom and smiled at the thought of his mom being able to retreat. The dining room where they could eat together. As their own little family. In their home. 

"Mom, what is this?" Terry stuttered. 

"I want to be a family again. It kills me seeing you sleep on a sofa. But I can't let anyone sleep in Matt's room, I'm sorry for that." She sniffed back tears and fanned her eyes. "We can move on together, as a family. Just me and you Terry." Mary held his hand. 

"So you bought this today?" Terry glanced at the pictures again. 

"Yep. I wanted to surprise you, I hope you like it." Mary bit her lip anxiously. 

"I love it mom." Terry pulled her into another hug, tighter than the previous one but so much more tender. "I love you." 

"I love you too." Mary traced circles on his back. "It's just me and you Terry, that's all we need."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jason's OCD is a subject very close to me. I based his experience off a relative of mine who is very like Jason and has diagnosed OCD too. They manage it well, and keep it from taking over their life completely, much like Jason has. And if you read back on other chapters featuring Jason then there's little things I wrote that all hinted at it.
> 
> I did think long and hard about making Terry queer. I didn't want this to be a fic where literally everyone is gay ect. But I went with it because it's nearly 2025 in the fic and I hope that in real life we can all be more open and fluid with our sexualities without discrimination, especially kids that are finding themselves. 
> 
> I hc Cass as being Asexual, Jason is Bi in this fic. Dami and Tim are gay and Terry is Pan. So it's not 'everyone is gay' but there's a healthy diversity in the bat family.


	80. How To Train Your Robin - Bruce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little series within the fic I'll be doing, where Terry gets trained by certain family members and his nosiness goads answers from them about their lives and Tim and Damian.

"Heya Mr Wayne!" Terry sat eagerly opposite Bruce in the cave and vibrated with excitement. His week was ending with a fantastic piece of news. His morning entailed a trip downtown to visit his new home. He and his mom spoke for ages about what they could do with the spare two bedrooms. What they would do with the garden now that they had one for the first time in their life. Even though it was a tiny garden, they were wedged in the city after all, they planned a barbeque in the summer, with friends.

After their visit, Terry politely asked if his mom could drop him at Wayne Manor so he could tell Tim and Damian the good news and maybe rope them in to help the move. She was more than happy to, just so long as he was home before dinner.

The perfect excuse for his training. He was getting dangerously good at lying.

"I trust you're ready for this. I'm starting small, and taking you through a murder." Bruce smiled.

"That's small?" Terry questioned with a nervous laugh.

"Well sometimes a mystery can unravel into a massively bigger web that you need to bring to us and take on as a team. But a simple murder is very small compared to what we've dealt with before." Bruce tapped his cane and rose to his feet with a wince. "Come we're going to the reconstruction room."

Terry followed Bruce to the lift and stood as far away from the intimidating presence as he could. He couldn't explain the feeling, but Bruce was a man that commanded a large amount of personal space.

The reconstruction room was clinical and plain, like the mud room. Bruce held his tablet and loaded a file up. "Now you can thank Tim for this. This was an actual murder he handled a few weeks ago, he took the photos on his camera and then tweaked them holographically to simplify it for you. I'll walk you through and solve it. You only need to take notes of what I'm assessing and how I come to the conclusions I do." Bruce handed Terry the tablet after pressing a button.

The room went black immediately, the only light came from the screen, then small dots began to move and construct, until the blank, clinical room was transformed into a domestic setting, drenched in blood.

"You okay Terry. Is it too much?" Bruce asked.

"No no, I'm good. I'm just taking it in." Terry kicked the sofa that a man was draped over and marvelled at how his foot glided through it.

"I'm going to go really slow for you. Detective work is probably the hardest part of Robin and Batman. Because there are two sides to it. The facts: what evidence is there? What was at the scene? What were the timescales?. Then you have what you think: What doesn't feel right? Can you place yourself in the assailant's position and calculate the next move?" Bruce rubbed Terry's shoulder. "It's difficult and you'll get it wrong a thousand times before it works. I know that because I did that too."

Using a glove from the Batsuit that was modified to interact with the holograms, Bruce took Terry through every step of investigating a crime scene in absolute detail. He demonstrated the tiny retractable needle that takes samples of substances. He showed Terry how to bag and label evidence.

Terry was fascinated at the procedure. It was rigid and systematic, just as he preferred all things to be. Bruce explained how the blood splatter on the wall got there and what style of weapon would cause it. How the victim landed on the sofa, suggested they were pushed after the initial wounds then held down as the rest were made. Bruce was gentle in how he explained it, balancing the need for Terry to know these things, with the effort to not traumatise him.

Terry made pages upon pages of notes, he practically wrote down Bruce's every word.

"And that's a crime scene investigation." Bruce shut off the hologram and returned the room to blank whiteness. "I wanted you to know this first, because it's applicable from the get go. Next time we'll go through witness statements and chasing up leads. Then we'll do interrogation techniques. Eventually you'll be able to do this without thinking about it. It'll be natural." Bruce took them back to the cave and transferred the notes Terry made onto his computer partition.

"Thanks for this Bruce. You're a really good teacher." Terry grabbed a bottle of water from the cave fridge.

"I should hope so." Bruce said as he sat back down at the round table. "I've taught enough people in my time. And now they're teaching you."

"Is it weird ?" Terry asked bluntly. "Damian said something last week about you being Batman, as in you as a person is Batman and there really is no true replacement. So is it weird seeing Damian in the suit."

"You're not afraid to ask questions are you?" Bruce scowled and twisted his cane.

"Can't learn if you don't." Terry chuckled nervously.

Bruce hummed and smirked. "I am like two people. Bruce Wayne is a child crying in crime alley, sitting in a pool of his parents' blood. I am Batman playing the part of Bruce Wayne. My parents death changed me, I became something else. It makes me sound insane, but everyone can see it so I stopped denying it. Do you ever hear yourself speak in your head?" He asked.

Terry nodded. "Yeah my conscience. Like the voice I read in, think in and stuff."

"Mine doesn't sound like this." Bruce's voice lifted to be smoother and lighter. It wasn't gruff or blunt, rather it was suave and relaxed like he had no care in the world. "It sounds like this." Bruce's voice lowered back down to the moody growl. "This is how I would speak as Batman. The other voice is the one I use at events. Batman is the man who vowed to rid Gotham of crime. The voice in my head calls me Batman not Bruce."

"That's kind of sad. It's like your life ended at 10 years old." Terry sniffed. For some reason Bruce's story tugged a strong of his heart.

"To answer your question. Yes it's weird. It was weird when Jean Paul was Batman, it was weird when Dick was and now it's even worse now Damian is. I never wanted this for him." Bruce confessed.

"Why'd you let him be Robin then?" Terry asked. He had gotten the reason from Damian but he wanted another perspective.

"He needed it. Dick saw that, not me. He needed a purpose outside of what he was raised for. I thought he'd give it up and lead a normal life eventually. I thought that about all of them. Dick is the first one to do that and he's 39. Harper never really got stuck into this life so she doesn't count and I'm grateful for that." Bruce sighed. "I know the burden the cowl carries. When this happened to me-" Bruce waved his cane. "I told Damian that I wanted him to be happy. That if he never put on a costume again I'd be happy. But minutes later, he put on the batsuit for the first time. I gave him chance after chance to give it up but he said he wanted it. Before I was crippled, I wanted Damian to put his batsuit on and come out with me as another Batman. I wanted to show him how hard it was and hopefully put him off. I suppose he's not done making up for his past sins. He's done more than make up for them in my eyes, but I guess he still feels it. That and the fact he's always called it his birthright."

"He said it's a weight. The people he killed and the lives he ruined. He said it's a weight." Terry mumbled.

"Out of all my children, he is the one who has changed the most. Every single day I think about how different it'd be if I got to him earlier. If I could take 2 of those traumatic years at the league away from him, he'd be so different. But that wouldn't be my son, I wouldn't change a thing. Not his birth, not his upbringing and not his death. It's made him into the man he is today." Bruce wiped his face quickly and excused himself.

"I'm sorry I made you cry." Terry whispered sarcastically. 

Bruce barked a small laugh and waved Terry off. "One thing good about taking the cowl off is that I can release a bit. I don't have to be strong for an entire city anymore." Bruce ended his sentence with a grimace. 

"You feel guilty about that don't you?" Terry asked, he noticed the change of expression. 

"Interrogation techniques weren't until later on." Bruce chuckled. "I do. But I spent years building up the GCPD with Jim so the burden was shared. The city is strong by itself now, I wasn't needed so much. That's when I got married and took a break. Hardest thing I ever had to do."

"Has anyone ever called Batman and both you and Damian turn around?" Terry smirked. 

"I still do that." Bruce confessed. "Even when I see the Bat Signal I get up then remember myself. It's the same as if I call Robin, then Dick, Jason, Tim, Steph and Damian all respond. I suppose you would too now."

"Thanks Bruce. I really want to know you all properly y'know? So I kinda push a lot." 

Bruce gave Terry the first genuine smile he'd seen from the rough old man. It was strained and looked like it never saw the light of day very often. "Damian and Tim trust you, so I do. I'm an open book Terry, closing myself off and keeping secrets has only ever brought me pain. I've learned my lesson the hardest way." He got up again with a sigh of pain and nodded towards the steps. "Come, I'll make you a grilled cheese like my dad used to make me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really fun to write old man Bruce, he's 54 in this and it's shows. I had to think to myself about what kind of Bruce I wanted to write. He's not bitter like the classic batman beyond Bruce, he's closer to the lighter old Bruce we got a glimpse of in Joker War.
> 
> The reason he's so forthcoming about the Batman/Bruce thing is Alfred's influence. When he says it's only ever brought him pain by hiding things, I'm reffering to multiple story arcs where his secrets cause rifts in the family and justice league. 
> 
> This Bruce knows his issues, and while he's not ready to let go of them yet, he is willing to share them because being honest has given him lots of good things.
> 
> Being honest with Jason let him create a new bond and mend their relationship. Being honest about his heart helped him finally settle down with Selena. Being honest for once has shown Bruce the error of his secretive and secluded ways. 
> 
> As for the Bruce/Batman explanation. While it may seem wierd that a man speaks about himself in tow different ways, it's been shown multiple times in comics that he's aware that Bruce isn't who he is. The Bruce wayne: Murderer/Fugitive arcs do this quite well.


	81. The Last War Journals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year people.
> 
> Thanks for 11k hits and over 300 kudos. You guys rock!

Terry finished his overly long shower and tucked himself into his new bed. He'd had an entire week off training and patrol duty due to each day's hectic nature.

After training with Bruce, Terry had to return home to pack. Damian helped the pair for a few hours to help them get a head start and brokered an agreement to help out the next day too.

Tim and Damian arrived with a van from the Iceberg lounge they commandeered and spent their entire Monday helping their family move. Mary treated them to takeout which spawned a huge argument about Tim's artichoke, onion and bacon pizza. Terry loved the idea and ended up sharing one with Tim, but Mary and Damian were hard against it and shared a veggie pizza. 

When asked about their wedding, Damian and Tim rambled about their tiny guest list and how they wished Mary and Terry could come. After some more conversation, Tim sensationally acted out a scene where he decided not to fly his non-existent Aunt Agatha out from Germany so Terry could come. Mary didn't want to be there at all, she only asked for a hefty slice of cake. Tim had a near miss with the rings, Mary asked to see them and Tim held his hand out without thinking and received a suspicious look about the ugly scar on his hand. Damian's were easily passed off as tiny injuries, they were mostly neat slices from the very fine blade of a katana, but Tim's was very clearly a grievous wound. The discomfort on his face was what most likely put Mary off asking. 

Then the next day Terry had to get his braces removed. A horrible experience, like getting them put on was, but Terry was glad he had a crystal white set of perfectly aligned teeth that would surely get knocked out by criminals or supervillains sooner or later. Tim cooed and said the braces gave him character and said it was cute that Robin had braces because it wasn't threatening at all. Terry hated him for it.

To top off a week from hell, Damian benched Terry from patrol for the rest of week, no reason in particular. Damian did however hint that he'd get to see more action considering he finished school for the holidays on the 12th of December, apparently way to early for adults to deem appropriate.

So Terry was bored again. Homework, exercise, shower, sleep, not necessarily in that order.

To make use of his free Saturday evening, Terry wrapped himself in his duvet and let his rear sink into the memory foam mattress while he read the war journals on his lap.

He flicked back to where he left off and became engrossed in the story of Jason becoming Batman and bringing his own stern justice to Gotham in Bruce's absence. He wondered how the hell Tim and Jason ever became as close as he'd seen them when this was the second time Jason attacked Tim in as many chapters, this time explained the scar in the center of Tim's sternum.

 _Gotta get Tim to teach me the possum reflex._ Terry thought. Tim slowing his heart rate to slow the bleeding had fooled Jaosn into thinking he was dead. Terry knew it could come in handy one day.

The next few pages were wrinkled and the ink was smudged by a liquid. Terry was no detective yet, but it was clear to him that the stains were tears.

> 'Who am I?
> 
> Where is Tim Drake?
> 
> My entire life had burned down again, that's what I told him. He didn't even take me seriously. I suppose I wouldn't have either, if he took me seriously then he'd know his mistake.
> 
> 'You're my equal' he said. As if that soothed the burn. 'He's my protégé' Dick said. As if it would suddenly make me see it his way.
> 
> Bruce is gone. Gotham is barely held together. I'm 15 and there is no one left to guide me, no one I can turn to. The last thing I had left, the last thing I had that I'd built and kept through all the tragedy and shit I've endured... Isn't mine.
> 
> That snivelling piece of shit is wearing my symbol. In my cave. And had the nerve to call me riff-raff. He had the nerve to call me sensitive, then suggest I wear a batgirl costume.
> 
> Damian may be 10, but I had no problem putting him on his ass with my fist. I felt something crack, hopefully it sticks and he looks ugly and deformed for the rest of his life. It'll be the least I deserve after he inevitably deforms my symbol.
> 
> The funny thing is. If Dick had come to me and asked, I might've given Damian the suit of my own. I just might've seen where he was coming from and let Damian take Robin to focus himself and become better. 
> 
> But my R was ripped away like I didn't matter. Dick said he still needed me at his side, but how? What was I meant to wear? What was I meant to become? 
> 
> The Red Robin suit was still tucked away in my base of operations. So what did Dick expect me to do? He just didn't want to say the obvious: he wanted Damian. He didn't want me. 
> 
> Maybe he expected me to be Nightwing in his absence. To fly the nest like a good little birdy and renounce the title. But I wasn't done with Robin! It's mine.
> 
> Dick told me to back off, and I did. I couldn't believe what was happening, but he'd finally given me a command. Something to do when there was no clear direction.
> 
> I backed off. But that wasn't good enough either. I was looking over the city, when Dick had to come and disturb me. 
> 
> 'I want to help.' 
> 
> 'Talk to me.'
> 
> I'm sick of hearing it. But hearing it from him was the final straw. He wanted me to see a therapist in Metropolis. He might as well commit me to Arkham. It's all the same. Maybe he let me win, maybe he wasn't focused. But when my staff was pressed into his throat it actually felt good. I'd accomplished something since this mess began. I beat Batman. I'm taking the win. 
> 
> They were never going to help. Apparently I'm in denial, but with the amount of death I've seen in the last 2 years, I know grief. It's been a close ally.
> 
> He's out there somewhere. I know he is. I know I'm right.
> 
> Bruce Wayne, Batman. Is alive.
> 
> He's all I have. He has to be alive.
> 
> The new suit is certainly something, it needs some adjusting. Jason's He-Man build has put some strain on the elastication but it fits okay. It's not my suit, it's not my symbol, but it has to be now. Tim Drake has floated away somewhere and I need an identity. Red Robin will do fine.
> 
> I caught some sleep on the flight, I couldn't care less about the assassins that could've been aboard.
> 
> Berlin is nice, dad used to say it's a great place to relax and soak up some culture. I don't have time for culture. I'm writing this on the floor of my hotel room.
> 
> Alone.
> 
> I'm alone. I thought that no one was going to help me. That no one believed me.
> 
> I was wrong. Ra's al Ghul believes me. He's been watching me this whole time. Ever since I left Gotham. Watching me search for Bruce.
> 
> And of all the people on this planet. He wants to help me. He thinks I'm right.
> 
> This is my mission, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to find Bruce.
> 
> Bruce gave me a purpose then, he's giving me a purpose now.
> 
> Tim Drake needs Bruce Wayne. Batman needs Red Robin.'

Terry brushed the tear stain and looked thoughtfully into the page. All the handwriting was shaky and erratic like Tim was struggling to even get it onto the page. Like he was so in control but so lost and distressed.

 _What did they drive him to, that he had to turn to Ra's al Ghul?_ Terry tutted internally. He suddenly felt very protective of this younger Tim who was carrying too much weight. More than he could ever bear.

> 'I lost my spleen. Saved Tam Fox a few times then crippled the League of Assassins main database. Then my best friend found me again. 
> 
> Not bad for three weeks' work.
> 
> The following week was quite bad though. 
> 
> Gotham made me feel good again. I was on a mission and everything made me feel good about myself again. I was doing what I'm good at, being Robin. Red or otherwise. 
> 
> I stopped Ra's. I did. 
> 
> I rallied the family and told them what to do. I told them who to save and who to push. I did. 
> 
> I faced down Ra's al Ghul and fucked his plan in front of him. I did. 
> 
> I finally did something that Bruce would be proud of. I haven't been good to his legacy thus far. Working with the league is a compromise Bruce never would've made. Being as destructive as I have isn't something Bruce would've let me do. 
> 
> But save the people he loved? Save everything he worked to build? No compromises? That is something Bruce would've done. 
> 
> I know that Bruce would be proud of me. 
> 
> As I fell I thought about the ground coming fast and everything I'd done. Even if I died there and then I would've been content, because I tried. Bruce always said that he wanted me to try if nothing else. And I did. 
> 
> I did. 
> 
> Maybe I can try again with Dick, Steph, Damian even. A lot has happened but I'm ready to try again. 
> 
> Because I proved that Bruce is alive.
> 
> Now I'm going to own my life. I can be a ghost anymore. Floating in and out. I need to be solid and real. I need to assume my position at Wayne Enterprises and use my new shares to do some good. 
> 
> I need to get out of this media circus with Tam. Why she said we're engaged is beyond me. 
> 
> I did it Bruce. I did.'

Terry sighed and flipped the page. He couldn't believe the ups and downs Tim went through in a few short weeks, only to assume so much responsibility at its end. 

> 'Dick was so hard nosed and empty about it. I suppose he would've been, he's had more time than me to accept his parents are dead and nothing will change that. 
> 
> But when the dead walk and talk. When Black Lanterns rule the night, and your dad is standing in front of you again, you'd do anything wouldn't you? 
> 
> He said they were dead and that there was nothing more to be said. Dick was adamant we should handle it. 
> 
> But the second his reanimated dad swung down and said to Dick that it was time to fly, he reached up and let his dad take him up into the air. 
> 
> My dad was cowering there. I never got to see it but I heard it. And it was happening all over again. 
> 
> 'If you don't get here then it's not your fault.' he said. And it was so clear, I was hearing it again. 
> 
> To hear him say he loved me again, was everything I ever needed. I'd do anything to hear it again, even now. I want to hear it everyday. 
> 
> Then my mom told me to save him. I didn't realise it was an option. I thought I'd have to see Boomerang kill dad again. But she was right. I did save him. 
> 
> I burned them myself. I didn't want to, but it's my job. My parents live in my heart, it was about time I accepted that. 
> 
> I listened to the recording a few nights later, from the Batmobile. I didn't listen to the gun shots, just dad telling me he loved me.'

Terry dropped the book and sobbed into his hands. The page was like reading his own feelings back to himself. He was jealous of Tim. Jealous of the way his dad got to say goodbye. 

A knock at the door roused him from his thoughts. He hid the books under his pillow and wiped his eyes the best he could. 

"Come in." Terry choked. 

Mary poked her head in and smiled. It was full of sympathy. She sat on the covers and wrapped her arm around Terry. "You okay?" 

"I was just thinking about something Tim said. About wanting to hear his dad say I love you one more time." Terry stuttered.

Mary pulled Terry's head into her shoulder and stroked his hair. Her hold was firm and made Terry feel a little more secure after his breakdown. 

"I love you Terry." Mary whispered. She kissed his misty auburn hair and felt her own tears fall. "You might never hear it again but you know he loved you."

"I love you too mom." Terry sat up away from her embrace. "I just need to get it out sometimes. A good cry then I'm good until the next time I get triggered." Terry giggled bitterly and let his smile fade away. 

"That's okay sweetie." Mary ruffled his wet hair into an even bigger mess. "I'll let you sleep, it's late." She reluctantly left the bed and stood in the doorway. "I know this has been hard for you, it's been hard for me too. But you don't need to put on a brave face Terry. For no one."

 _I'm brave because I'm Robin, mom._ Terry said in his head. He was so close to saying it out loud. 

"Thanks mom. I really am fine, I promise I'm not just saying that. It was just what Tim said that got me." Terry smiled and settled back into his pillows as if he really was going to sleep. 

Mary nodded and blew him a kiss before leaving. 

Terry shook himself better and picked the book back up. 

> 'He would've told me not to do it. My father wasn't a perfect man but I don't think he would've wanted revenge.
> 
> He would've said: 'Tim, justice is sweeter than revenge.'
> 
> I thought about the moment for ages. Pictured Digger Harkness begging or fighting mad. The irony of using his own weapon against him: the boomerang that killed Jack Drake.
> 
> The thought became a plan. I could never help my brain working overtime. I didn't even need to put effort into it.
> 
> Maybe that's why Jason was always successful when he planned something. A brilliant mind and a thirst for revenge make a plan come together better than anything else.
> 
> I did a lot. I knew Harkness was planning to regain some power he lost when he died. But that's the universe fucking me again, that sad piece of scum gets a second chance and my parents are still gone.
> 
> My plan was layered. It was perfect, every step was a choice Harkness had to make and any right choice would've kept him from walking into his own death. Over a thousand different choices by my calculations. 
> 
> He was good, he did everything necessary for the job. I respect his skill. He's always been a dangerous combination of desperate and deadly. I disrupted his plans just enough for him to get frustrated and limit his plans.
> 
> I got him to go to Mr Freeze. It was a fine line I was walking on. Fooling Harkness was easy, fooling Freeze is difficult.
> 
> The plan was dependent on Harkness making every wrong move possible. Even challenging Freeze, a fight I rarely want to participate in unless I feel particularly raring.
> 
> How many variables were involved? So many that I couldn't blame myself for what was about to happen.
> 
> My dad used to tell me that you can always count on bad people to make dumb decisions. That's when he would swoop in and claim his prize.
> 
> How could it be my fault, when it was his choice? 
> 
> I could have ended it. I built failsafe into my whole plan in case an innocent life was in danger. I couldn't let someone else kill him, and I couldn't let him kill himself. The plan was over. I had to kill him. 
> 
> The boomerang I put in his shoulder made him stumble. I should've let him fall. But I couldn't. 
> 
> Despite what the plan says, I'm still a good guy. 
> 
> Bruce told me I made all the wrong choices before I made the right one in saving him. 
> 
> For the first time in my entire vigilante career, I stood up to Batman meaningfully. Not just a squabble about an approach or something. This was me at Alpha and him at Omega. Complete opposites. 
> 
> I meant what I said to him: This is me. For good and bad. Because of what he taught me and because of what dad taught me. Because of the things I think he did well and the ones I think he did poorly. 
> 
> I can feel it now, like Batman used to. Electricity and guilt. Shadows and sadness. Kinetic energy and hope. 
> 
> This is my city now, if I want it to be. Not Dick's, not Bruce's, mine!
> 
> To make it that way, what do I have to become? Do I build my city as Red Robin or Tim Drake?
> 
> So many choices but what will be my decision?'

Terry beamed down at the page and felt pride on Tim's behalf. He had quite literally read Tim grow up and it made him feel a little closer to Tim, like secrets can bond people as friends.

He noticed one final dog eared page near the end of the journal and flicked to it. Terry was surprised to see it was dated 2017, 6 years since the last entry.

> 'So the last entry was in 2011. I didn't want to write this anymore, but I had a near miss on a mission Bruce called me back to Gotham for and didn't want these stories to go unfinished if I died and someone read these. So here goes:
> 
> After my speech about making Gotham mine, I didn't. Things just didn't work out that way. Batman Incorporated was a great project and Bruce really thrived with it.
> 
> He came back to Gotham and started to partner up with Damian more. Dick went back to Nightwing in a hideous red costume and I was... Nowhere. Everyone was doing something but me. 
> 
> Batman Incorporated wasn't such a hit in the end though. Talia killed Damian. Well her freakshow clone of Damian killed Damian but under her command.
> 
> I was with the Titans. And I felt so guilty that I didn't get the chance to help when Leviathan attacked. Maybe I could've made the difference and he wouldn't have died.
> 
> My conscience was spared, I went with Bruce to Apokalips to get him back and it all turned out okay in the end. The dynamic duo returned and kept Gotham in check. 
> 
> With Gotham under control, I was rarely there. I wasn't needed there. I have to hand it to Bruce, he took what Dick did with Damian and ran with it. It's nice to see Bruce be a dad. I know that's what he kinda tried to do for me when dad first died, but he realised I only had one dad and stayed as a mentor and friend. But Bruce as a Dad is really something special, it brings out something in him that's genuinely human. He tries with Jason too. After the Joker sabotaged his mask, Bruce never left his bedside, I caught him crying and spilling out his feelings more than once. It's still not his fault, he can't admit the things he did wrong, but he'll get there and I hope Jason and him can have something real again. Jason needs his dad. 
> 
> I did burn some bridges and alienated myself. I wanted to be my own man and I was. My nest still stands, me and Barbara joined forces to pair our own computers away from the main Batcomputer. It's quite the machine. The Birds of Prey are an on and off team now but me and Barbara maintain a separate system away from Bruce's mainframe. 
> 
> My new suit is a beast, I let loose on one of my 4 night binges and built it from scratch. Even Bruce was jealous of how much I managed to cram in there. 
> 
> I built new bridges too. After Jason went missing after his Batman psychotic break, he went back to Red Hood and partnered up with Kori and Roy. He's... Happier. The snark is back and we still bicker but over the years he's become my brother. He tried to fumble through an apology about what happened the years before but I let it go, I don't like dwelling on the past and our friendship isn't worth throwing away over a few attempts on my life. I'd have no friends if that was the case. 
> 
> A new sibling, Duke is a little wild. People would assume he's normal but fighting crime in the daytime in a bright yellow suit is the least of his batshit crazy stunts. I like him, he's a lot like me in some ways, and completely different from us all in others. I wonder if Bruce knows what I know about him yet. How long can he hide it from Bruce?
> 
> So the next best thing? Titans, as we are now known. The teen bit was getting old like we were. 
> 
> I had a recruitment drive, and found some of the best friends of my life. Miguel just came back to us. He worked with Jason for a bit. 
> 
> But most importantly, in 2015, I handed leadership to Cassie permanently. I was done with the back and forward, like we'd been doing since our Young Justice days. She deserves it and I'm not consistent. The next generation of heroes deserve a leader who can be stronger than I am. 
> 
> I don't belong at Wayne Enterprises anymore, not after I have Bruce his shares back, well most of them. He owned 60% of the shares and now he only owns 51%. He can keep his control but for everything I did for him, I'm taking my cut and setting myself up for life. I deserved that. But I did stick around, good office and a job in research and development. I design and make things now, enough said. 
> 
> So I only have 2 places in the world: Gotham and San Francisco. In Gotham I'm rarely needed and I can feel my nest swallowing me whole. That's why I don't use it much, I lent it to Roy and Jason. In San Francisco my role is considerably smaller but I have company and I can really throw myself into Red Robin. 
> 
> That's why I'm moving there permanently. 
> 
> Tim Drake isn't doing much good anymore, neon knights wound down and got absorbed into other projects. While my work was recognised at WE, it's nothing I can't do in my spare time at the tower. 
> 
> Everyone is doing their own thing, and getting on with it except me. I don't even feel like the family needs me anymore. I don't have friends either, after I left school no one talked to me much, even Tam did her own thing and moved away. 
> 
> I don't get into relationships anymore either. Every girl I'm with, it feels wrong for some reason. Even when I tried again with Steph it just wasn't working. It's better that I don't hurt any more feelings by trying and failing. I'm fine with being on my own, maybe I'm even happier by myself too. 
> 
> It's time I put my skills to use while I'm young, I'm going to make sure the Titans have everything they need and I'll be launching into battles alongside them. They're my family too, maybe more so than Bruce and the rest. So if my Bat family doesn't need me, then my Titans family will. It's best that I don't say goodbye either, I'll say bye to Alfred and get him to let everyone know I'm gone. I'll miss him the most while I'm away, but I'm sure he'll fly over to the tower and surprise me every month like he already does. 
> 
> I'm not sure how this'll go, but I won't know if I don't try. 
> 
> This has been my life, since meeting Batman, until now when I leave Gotham behind for a while, possibly forever. Maybe I'll read these again one day and reminisce. Maybe they'll rot in the manor's floorboards long after I'm gone.
> 
> This will be the last entry. A closing chapter in my life. It's hard because I always hate new starts. So to whoever reads these, I want to leave a message:
> 
> You may have experienced my life from when it pivotally changed to now when I'm leaving my home forever, but what did you find? 
> 
> I hope you found that even in the hardest or darkest times, there can be light as long as you hope. 
> 
> My life isn't spectacularly bright right now, I'm lost and haven't quite found myself yet, but I'm hopeful at least. The day I lose hope will be the day I die, because I haven't survived this long by being negative and down on myself. The multiverse might even collapse if Tim Drake loses hope. 
> 
> I hope you found that for all my flaws, I tried my best. It wasn't good enough to save my dad and it wasn't good enough for a lot of things, but I tried. My best was good enough to bring Bruce back when no one else would. My best was enough to help people who couldn't help themselves. 
> 
> I'm modest, but I know that I can safely say that I've been through a lot, if you (whenever you may be from) take anything from my life, it's that you should always stay true to yourself and try your hardest, it's enough. 
> 
> Tim Drake;
> 
> Robin, Red Robin and for a brief moment then and in the future: Batman.'

Terry closed the book and smoothed his hands over the cover. The last chapter filled in most of the gaps he wanted to know and yet there was still so much he craved. How much of Tim's life could he possibly take in?

Not enough. 

He wanted to text Tim a thank you for sharing something so intimate, so personal and raw. Terry knew Tim on a deeper level now, and he was caught in the snare of Tim's intriguing life. 

He put the journals behind his bedside table and settled into his bed. He could admit that even though the sofa was comfy, nothing beat a king size bed he could spread out and get lost in. 

The week was hectic, but now he could get back to normal. Which meant normal sleep too. Staying awake reading until midnight wasn't going to help him when he needed to be up early to meet Jason at the Iceberg Lounge. 

He fell asleep with a new conviction setting deep into his mind and soul. He still didn't know what exactly his 'R' meant to him but he was getting an idea. 

When he grew up, he wanted to be just like Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that brings the story full circle kind of, the last chapter of the war journals covers the events after the Red Robin series and what he did leading up to when he left for the titans.
> 
> And obviously after he comes back, he becomes smitten with Damian.


	82. How To Train Your Robin - Jason and Barbara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's an Easter egg in this chapter relating to a character. Who can catch it?

Terry wandered into the club and stared childishly up at the giant banners hanging from the wall. The ceiling was magnificent and the building did actually look like ice.

Terry felt his feet leave the floor. He gulped and tried to squirm out of the grip that held his collar.

"No minors. We may be crooks but the boss has the strictest no kids policy." The voice thundered from behind him.

"I'm here for Jason. Tell him Terry's here for him." Terry choked out, the grip on his neck wasn't giving much air to breathe.

He was dropped and the ground seemed further away than he thought. He turned round to see a giant. There was no other explanation, this woman was a giant.

She eyed him with such suspicion that Terry considered he had the wrong place. "Boss. There's a ratty, skinny thing here for you. I can snap him and not break a sweat unless Teeny Terry really is meant to be here." She nodded and her face softened. Terry thought she looked quite nice when she was trying to intimidate. "I'll send him up."

"All good?" Terry squeaked.

"Yeah. Jay told me not to scare you next time." She shrugged and pointed to a door on the far side of the club. "Go up the stairs to the top or take the lift up. Code is 0357."

Terry nodded and hurried off to the stairwell. He knocked on Jason's door and received a shout much like he did when locking at the Manor. Except this time Terry didn't question it.

He could see that this was Jason's heaven. All the glass and chrome surfaces shined. The snow only made the place brighter. He was cautious not to move anything, although there wasn't much to move. Aside from the pictures on the wall and the few things placed on counters and shelves, there was nothing. It was tranquil and calm, everything a home should be. 

"I hope Suzie didn't choke you. She's nice when you get to know her." Jason called from his bedroom. "Have a look round, I just showered and I'm getting dressed."

That was all the invitation Terry needed. Being told to look around was something he loved to hear, it gave mandate to his nosiness and he could load his question magazine to fire at Jason later.

Naturally, Terry started with pictures. The walls were covered in them. He looked over a few family pictures he'd also seen at the Manor, then onto some ones of Jason and two redheads.

The first looked like a grimey trucker. His hat was battered and his beard was straggly. But his smile made you want to smile back automatically. He seemed sweet to Terry, despite his worse-for-wear exterior.

The second was a redhead that Terry knew well. His childhood crush. Starfire, in all her glory. Her hair billowed around the trio and her eyes were like magnets, Terry couldn't help but look deep into the green.

The next few were of the trucker man and Jason. The redhead looked cleaner in these photos. His hair was cut closer to his head and was parted neatly. It wasn't a battered domino that he wore, but a sleek pair of goggles and costume that looked worthy of a hero.

Then they were gone. There were no more pictures of the two previous teammates, but there were two new ones.

Terry couldn't believe her beauty. Her hair was much like Starfire's, long and gorgeously red. Her costume was battered and dented. But the lady seemed to wear it with pride. In each picture her nose was tipped into the air and her mouth was stretched into a polite smile. Her axe took up an entire extra space in the photos, it was pretty much stuck to her hand.

Terry didn't know how much of a villain Jason was, but being in a team with Bizarro seemed on the wrong side of good. Terry noticed that in every photo Bizarro seemed to be smiling and affectionate with Jason.

"Before you ask, that's not the Bizarro you're thinking of. We found this one fresh out of the tank. Didn't attack Superman once." Jason spoke from behind Terry. He hadn't heard Jason sneak up on him.

"Who is she." Terry pointed to the axe wielder. "She's beautiful. And has bigger arms than you!"

"Artemis. She was an Amazon." Jason touched the photo delicately and smiled faintly. Terry saw that familiar pain that was constantly lurking under Jason's facade. "She would've liked you. Plucky spirit and outspoken. If there's one thing Amazon's love, it's kids. You don't get many on Themyscira or in Bana-Mighdall."

"Bana-Mighdall?" Terry queried. "I thought all Amazon's came from Paradise Island."

"Artemis didn't go into it much, because it happened thousands of years ago, but they're a splinter group from Egypt. I'm welcome there anytime, maybe I'll let you tag along." Jason answered. He pointed to the case at the far end of the room. "Artemis' earrings. Bizarro's pup pup and Roy's crusty old hat." Jason grimaced. "I hated that thing."

"They're all gone?" Terry whispered. He looked back at the photo of Roy giving Jason a noogie and finally knew where that pain came from.

"Yeah." Jason sighed. "Kori visits every so often and Miguel keeps in touch. But the Outlaws ended when Artemis and Biz died."

"The other redhead?" Terry asked. He touched Jason's arm to reassure. 

"Roy died later, back in 2019. He had a bad few days and fell off the wagon. I suppose he didn't think that one last shot of heroin would've killed him." Jason sighed. "But it did. At least now he's free of his demons."

"So what's the plan for today?" Terry changed the subject and inspected Jason's attire. Full gym wear but no costume told Terry that there was no field related training today.

"We're going to the Clocktower. Babs has been holed up there for days now updating the mudroom." Jason clapped him on the back and hurried off to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of beer and a bottle of water for Terry then made for the door. Terry jogged to catch up. "Tim is there helping her and Duke may pop in on his break from patrol."

"Schway." Terry shut the door carefully behind him.

* * *

The Clocktower looked different in the daylight. Terry stared wide eyed at the space as if he'd never stepped foot in the nest before.

The space felt alive. Terry felt like the cave was a static place in time. No matter what happened, the cave was solid and real. The Clocktower however, felt completely different to Terry. The space breathed and lived with the people in it. The holograms, equipment and walls changed and adapted. When Barbara interacted with the room the UI changed to her liking and switched when Tim took over.

"Boy Wonder." Barbara called. Terry gulped and hoped the razors of her eyes didn't cut him so deep this time.

"Oracle." He stuttered. He shifted closer to Jason instinctively and smiled as genuinely as he could.

"Barbara when we're here." She slid the hologram away and focused her full attention on the pair. "Treat this place like your own Batcave. Everyone who comes here seems to like it better. What's Jason got you doing today?"

"Dunno." Terry shrugged. "He hasn't told me." 

"Fitness and strength stuff. Damian chose me because I can demonstrate for longer without getting tired. And you Babs because you're a badass." Jason flashed her his best smile. 

"Sweet!" Terry cheered. 

* * *

Terry warmed up with stretches and jogged on the treadmill to get his heart rate up. After his run he stretched again and started a light workout to engage everything. 

He didn't expect Barbara to join them, but she came into the room with her gym gear on and an air of determination radiated from her. 

Terry found it empowering. She wasted no time. She simply pushed herself out of her chair and into the chest press. The muscles in her arms and chest bulged and rippled. She pushed a weight Terry couldn't even match half of. 

"It's amazing isn't it." Jason said from beside Terry, he was just as captivated. 

"She's amazing. She used all of this equipment?" Terry asked. 

"Yep. She's the strongest person I know, bar none." He looked at her distantly and watched her annihilate her task with minimal effort. He snapped out of it and slapped Terry's shoulder. "Come on, you shit. Let's get to it."

"The basics of strength training." Jason started. "Is what we're gonna start with. Before we do anything fancy. It's squats, deadlifts and bench press."

Terry scratched his head and eyed the massive round weights stacked up with apprehension. "That doesn't sound like basics. I see those big guys on TV deadlifting huge weights."

Jason waved dismissively and ushered Terry over to the weights. 

* * *

Terry was put through his paces. Jason was true to his word, he made Terry do squats with increasing weight until his thighs and ass burned like lava. Deadlifts with multiple grips and bench press until Terry felt like his chest was tearing apart. 

Overload, Jason repeated. He said it as if it made the task any easier for Terry. But, as they went on with increasing weight after perfecting his form, Terry found that it did make the task easier. The more Jason pushed, the more he wanted to do it. When he did do it, the cheer from Jason made the pain and exhaustion worth it.

"Ahhh." Terry groaned as Jason helped lift the last weight back into its stand. "So. What's. The. Fancy. Stuff." Terry heaved out breathlessly.

Jason pointed to Barbara up high on the still rings. She was suspending herself perfectly on the rings, then lifting herself up. Every movement was controlled and precise, her strapped legs were not even a consideration. 

"Computer, lower me." She said, barely out of breath. The rings lowered from the ceiling until she could sit on the bench next to her chair.

Before Terry could feel emasculated any longer, raised voices prompted all three of them to race from the room.

"So not only do you sign off on the final structural checks in the Blüdhaven Bridge without me, but you pass off my research on the Warworld's weaponry to Kord Industries?" Damian shouted.

Tim sighed and turned around slowly. The passive movement only seemed to spur Damian on. Anger was boiling inside him and Terry could see his face redden.

"Dami, I had to." Tim said calmly. His eyes looked dead and cold. "It's a contractual obligation, we couldn't have Brainiac's ship otherwise. It was a trade I had to make for the company."

"Oh yes Drake." Damian growled. "Pulling the rug out from under me and rendering my last few months of spare time researching that lump of shit was well worth it for the company. Signing off on my project work without even a note was just the cherry on top eh?"

Damian was edging closer to Tim with every word. Terry had no idea whether it would come to blows. He started forward to get in between them but was held back by Jason's hand.

"Don't." Jason warned. "It's not our place to get involved."

"Dude, we're watching it." Terry whispered back.

"Yeah, cause it's fun." Jason chuckled.

"Don't forget that I'm your boss." Tim hissed. His facade was falling but his eyes were still villainous cold. "I make the decisions and they're final. You don't seem to mind when I give you first refusal on every new goodie that comes my way."

"Don't play the boss card again. You were suffering in that job and I was the one who helped you stick with it." Damian smirked.

"You think I won't strip you of every bit of work you have. Maybe I'll give it to Linda Ashdown. She likes me, maybe I'll see how much." Tim spat through gritted teeth.

"You disrespectful asshole! How can you say that?" Damian blinked a few times, his eyes were wide. Terry knew that last comment hurt.

"Maybe I'm fucked off with you always wanting everything to fall in your lap. The world isn't fair Damian, I have a job to do whether it hurts you or not." Tim's voice returned to it's level tone.

Damian looked down at Tim with a furious scowl. One Terry only saw used on criminals. Tim looked menacingly cold and evil. His expression was simply distaste; a look that would make even Superman feel feeble and inferior.

Terry could almost compare their staring contest to a mental conversation. They both seemed to be talking with their eyes, it didn't seem like a pleasant conversation to Terry either.

Tim crumbled first.

"I'm sorry Dami, I should've let you know before I passed your work off. I couldn't keep it but I should've let you know. And I didn't know that the Bridge meant that much for you to do yourself. I had to file the final paperwork with the city and needed it finalised." Tim muttered quietly. "I shouldn't have been horrible about it." 

"Thank you. I'm sorry for shouting without knowing all the facts." Damian pulled him into a long hug.

Terry couldn't believe an argument could be solved that quickly. He shuffled back and pretended to do something like Jason was.

"I've got to get back to the office handsome." Damian straightened his shirt and kissed Tim's forehead delicately.

Terry heard the footsteps approaching so he drove his head further into the case notes he knew nothing about.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Damian said apologetically.

"It's fine dude." Terry said quickly. He cringed at his use of dude. "Me and Matt would just sit there when my parents were getting divorced. Arguments everyday, I'm used to it." Terry's eyes widened. "No no. Not that you'd get a divorce or split up, I'm just trying to say, uhh, y'know... Couples argue?"

"I got it, don't worry." Damian said with an obviously fake smile. "I've got to go, I wanted to see how you're doing. Jason's being nice I hope."

Terry scoffed. "No. But in the best way. He pushed me today. I feel good, tired, but good."

"Good boy." Damian said, he messed Terry's hair and nodded to Jason who had stopped trying to lie about his nosiness. He left much more quietly than he came in. Everyone returned to normal as if nothing happened.

* * *

Terry was scrolling through instagram when a plate and a glass was forcefully shoved in front of him.

"Eat shithead." Jason grumbled. "Everything meaty in a sandwich and a protein shake. I hear they're alright."

Terry sipped his milkshake and hummed approval. It was overwhelmingly strawberry. "So what was that in there. Argument one and done just like that."

"Oh no." Jason chuckled. "There's a whole lot more to that standoff. It's like both of them deciding what to do next. Because they're both petty people and don't like apologising."

"Have they ever had an actual fight?" Terry leaned forward and invested himself in the gossip.

"No. Tim pushed him really hard once and still hasn't forgiven himself." Jason looked over his shoulder to make sure Tim wasn't anywhere near. "They either look at eachother and crack. Apologise and shit. Or they walk away from each other and don't speak for a while. I've had Tim on my sofa a few times, sometimes he goes to San Francisco. Damian will just leave and go anywhere, but usually ends up with me if Tim stayed at the Manor."

"So they don't have like, relationship ending fights?" Terry pushed.

"Nah, they're like the super couple. They both love each other, a little fight wouldn't do anything but bring them closer." Jason shrugged and nibbled his own sandwich.

Barbara took up the spot next to them and raised her eyebrows at the subject matter.

"But Tim basically threatened Damian with that woman. That's kinda horrible." Terry threw his two cents into the subject.

"To you maybe." Barbara scoffed. "To them that's mildly hurtful. Tim can be much more vicious than that. And Damian can be a lot less controlled. To regulars that'd seem toxic but you know their past and what this life entails. We've got thick skin."

Terry thought back to Tim planning Captain Boomerang's murder to the most psychotically small detail and how much hate his words contained. He only knew the smallest details of Damian's childhood: raised by assassins, made to kill, heir to an empire. Everything else was kept under lock and key, his file on the computer was password protected and Terry would never ask anyone for gossip, it would be a violation of Damian's trust. He did trust Damian with his life, but he couldn't help but feel like Damian was hiding something from him. 

Tim was an open book, but Damian was a bank vault. 

"Ah fuck." Jason eyed his phone. "I've gotta go, there's an order gone wrong at the lounge and Suzie is holding the guy until I can threaten him." Jason shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth and chewed with earnestness. "I'll text you your workout plan, and tiny diet changes. Sorry to up and leave you."

"It's okay man. See you soon Jay." Terry called after him.

Terry cursed that he was now left alone with Barbara. He'd been doing his best to charm her like everyone else but she didn't seem to fall for it.

"You did well today. Jason's little arms could never handle that when he was Robin." Barbara remarked.

"Thanks. I've been trying to put in extra hours at home too as well as gym class at school." Terry smiled with no teeth just in case he had a bit of ham stuck in them. Ever since his braces were taken off, it had been a source of nagging paranoia that something was stuck.

"Don't overdo it, it's hard to be flipping around and light on your feet if you're built like a tank." She smiled back.

"You're one to talk about overdoing it!" Terry quipped. "You outdid me today and barely broke a sweat!"

"I need my upper body strength. You'd be surprised how often this place gets broken into by small timers and the occasional Talon." Barbara mused her phone. "I used to kick a lot, now I use these." She detached the arms of her chair and twirled them around her fingers.

"Tonfa." Terry nodded. "Everyone's got a signature weapon but me."

"You don't get a signature weapon until it finds you. You need to be fully trained, then assess what weapon can compliment your current skills. Tim was an exception, but you try getting a staff out of his hands, it doesn't matter if he relies on it."

"Duke uses Nunchucks right?" Terry asked.

"Yeah but they detach and look more like snowpicks." Barbara chuckled. "My dad used to have this one cracked old nightstick, and he would never carry any other one into an operation. Same gun, same stick."

"I'm sorry for your loss by the way." Terry mumbled. "I lost my dad a few days before you, it's my first Christmas without a dad too."

"Thank you." She nodded through the obvious pain. She shook herself and giggled at the memories. "Last Christmas we were working overtime and I didn't have time to get my dad anything but this mustache comb and fancy razor set."

"I got my dad something similar. It had this cream with a weird smell like-" 

"Cinnamon?" Barbara interjected. 

"Yes!" Terry exclaimed. "It burned my dad's face to shit." 

"Same here. That little shop not far from here?" Barbara fell into a fit of laughs. "He wore a scarf to work for the next three days because Harvey Bullock teased him once."

They talked for a while about their respective fathers and found they weren't so different. Neither were Terry and Barbara, they found some common ground while complaining about their dad's and telling stories. She even showed Terry some things on the computers. 

Though there hadn't been much training but the workout Jason gave him, it wasn't a day wasted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barbara is such an iconic strong woman. I remember reading the old nightwing comics and in every few panels Barbara would be chilling on the sofa, then working out in the next few pages.
> 
> I like writing Tim and Damian's stand offs. It's when they come dangerously close to releasing into those earlier times where they'd physically fight.


	83. Cool off (Smut)

"Garfield was right. Mondays are shit." Damian said over the comms.

Tim scoffed and nearly dropped the evidence he was carefully handling. "Batman, please." Tim could only manage two words before scoffing again.

"Come on Red Robin, the city is dead. It's nearly Christmas and it's freezing." Damian landed with a thud. "I want to go home."

"Guess you don't want the rooftop quickie I was thinking about then." Tim leered. His voice was low and rumbling. He wanted Damian to feel exactly what he was feeling.

"Red, I love you, but my dick would be at least an inch shorter in this weather. My cum might even freeze the second it hits the air." Damian chuckled.

"Yep and my dick looks crystal white and really red at the end in the freezing cold like this." Tim chirped. "But that's not stopping me from pressing into my cup right now is it?" 

"Red." Damian warned. The thought stirred him and made his blood run a little hotter.

"If you're so worried about it being cold-" Tim chewed his lip and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "I've got somewhere warm you can put it."

Damian growled and looked down at the streets. "Meet me at our usual spot."

* * *

Tim eyed the black shadows as they blipped over the roofs towards him. He leaned back cockily onto the vent shaft and licked his freshly vaselined lips.

Damian couldn't help but grin. 

Tim's cheeks glowed red from the cold, a change from his usual blushing and shyness. Damian saw the shine of his lips in the neon light and made them his. He gripped each side of Tim's face tightly as he claimed his mouth. 

Tim welcomed the warmth. Damian's tongue was hot and tasted of the sweet coffee he had drunk recently. 

"Come on then Batman." Tim gasped as Damian finally released his hold. He spun around and pushed Damian up against the vent. 

"Red. I don't think this is a good- ohh." Damian's voice rose tenfold as the bitter air nipped at his erection. 

"Oh look at your balls." Tim teased. "They're practically in your stomach."

"It's fucking cold you cretin." Damian spat. His only salvation was Tim's mouth closing around his balls and lapping at them like a starved animal. "Dear lord Red, are you that desperate?" Damian eyed Tim with a mixture of confusion and bubbling arousal. 

Tim snarled and nipped at the tight skin with his teeth. Damian hissed and pulled Tim's head back harshly by the hair. 

"That's what you get for making comments." Tim stuck his tongue out childishly and kissed the heavy erection at his lips. 

He blew a lungful of hot air onto Damian's tip. Batman couldn't help but thrust into it and groan. 

Tim didn't let him suffer any longer. He licked a long stripe up Damian's considerably shrunken manhood and rolled his lips over the head. 

He sucked the cold length into his mouth and warmed it with all he could give. He was indeed desperate for it, the previous days fight with Damian made him want to show Damian how much he loved him. 

Damian massaged over Tim's hair and brushed the unruly strands behind his ears. Even here on the snow-covered rooftops, Damian couldn't believe how much Tim turned him on. His cheeks were blushing now, not just cold. 

Tim's shiny lips stretched over the dark skin of his shaft was an image Damian had etched into his mind. He loved the spectacle and Tim loved doing it. 

Tim swallowed the length deeper and hummed as Damian tickled the back of his throat. He let the cock drop from his lips and teased the swollen head with his tongue. 

"Oh shit." Damian whined. The cold shock made him twitch and bob up onto Tim's nose. 

Damian pushed into the heat again and let out a long strangled moan. Tim chuckled and thrashed his tongue. 

He bobbed his head and vacuumed his cheeks in. Damian was gasping and gripping the vent. 

Tim roamed his gloved hand over the stubble of pubes and Damian's tight sack. His mouth did all the work, making Damian fall apart was only half the fun. Tasting the fresh pre Damian leaked and feeling his own spit drip down his chin made Tim strain in his cup. 

"I'm gonna cum, handsome." Damian stuttered. 

He rammed home and cradled Tim's head as he spilled down his throat. It was a brave new sensation. All exposed flesh suddenly flashed with heat and glowed with his climax. Damian was sure he'd be steaming. Pump after pump of hot cum filled the warmth and dribbled down onto his balls. 

Tim slurped and sucked it up carelessly. It was a gross, noisy affair. It only spurred Tim's arousal. 

"That was, err, interesting." Damian managed to choke out in his afterglow. 

"You really were a whole inch shorter." Tim used the corner of Damian's cape to wipe his mouth and chin. Damian clicked his tongue at the action but didn't pull the material back. 

"You want me to take care of this?" Damian asked when Tim stood. He pushed against the cup and squeezed Tim's throbbing manhood. 

"No I said I'd meet Steph for a coffee at 3am and I'm running late." Tim kissed Batman's cheek and hobbled to the roof edge. "But you can surprise me when I get back."

"Trust me handsome. Nothing is more surprising than nearly getting frostbite of the penis." Damian smirked and let Tim glide away. 

Maybe a cool off was indeed just what they both needed. 


	84. How To Train Your Robin - Damian, Duke and Tim

"My god it's freezing!" Terry's teeth chattered. Tim pulled him through the door and brushed snow from his hair. Before his training, Tim set the heaters in the cave remotely and insisted Terry have a cup of tea to warm up.

Terry couldn't say no, morning with a surprise breakfast was a treat that not much could beat. Conversation was less awkward these days, Terry could ramble without feeling out of place or rude. He found Selena's laugh to be infectious, and Tim's smile to be endearing. Even Bruce's grumbles about how early his term at school ended for the holidays was amusing.

Tim couldn't be more overjoyed when Terry asked what the lump of wires, buttons, tubes and riveted metal was sitting on the coffee table. Bruce and Selena both groaned and cursed him for asking. Tim returned their moans with a scowl and pursed lips.

"This is a rudimentary attempt at creating a Batarang launcher." Tim rambled. "The propulsion system is sticky, because as you know there's a skill to throwing them. But once I create a self learning AI to track how we throw them, I can hook them both up and technically they'd be able aim themselves."

"Damn that'd make the job easier." Terry mused. "What about this thing then." 

"Now this is my attempt at creating hard light constructs like a lantern ring. While I can't recreate the mystic elements that power the ring, I can use molecular nanotechnology to create constructs at an atomic level." Tim's eyes were wide and curious as he tinkered with the device. "Obviously it's not powered by imagination, there would be presets I'd have to program. Think wrist blades, batarangs, anything."

"Tim this is like nobel prize winning science shit." Terry pointed to a loose wire. "Why aren't you sharing this at work?" 

"Because if I got it working, as soon as our patent expires, people like Lex Luthor or all the other mad scientists would fine tune it and sell it as weapons of mass destruction." Tim adopted a grave expression, Terry had never seen Tim so serious. "Like my hacking of the league's zeta beam, or my personal active camouflage, there are things that we shouldn't use if we don't need to. Inventions in our hands are deadly weapons in others." 

"Will this work then." Terry looked at the tubing that ran wild around the generator and frowned. Could Tim not make it cleaner? 

"It needs a chemical or element to power it. Something stable, strong and solid. Something that exists as a liquid and can be formed into an incredibly hard solid. Non explosive, conductive, not radioactive, and other things." Tim listed. 

Terry shook his head and waited for the answer. "And that element is?"

"Doesn't exist." Tim dropped the device onto the table and sighed. "I spoke to Starfire and she said she'd collect samples of different elements from her space travels, same with Kyle and the other Lanterns. If they come across anything close to what I'm asking for they'd bottle it and get it back to me whenever." 

"Can't you just make a new element? All this alien stuff you have access to, can you manufacture what you need at an atomic level? If you have enough man made Kryptonite to grind Superman to dust, then why can't you make something new?" Terry asked. He reddened when Bruce looked up sharply at the mention of his Kryptonite stash. 

"I can. But it would take years to perfect and I still need some sort of blueprint to work from." Tim packed his projects into a box and set them next to him. "Earth's lanterns are particularly interested in this, that's why they're helping. We could use this tech as a planetary shield. Seeing as we're always getting invaded, a hard light shield like a lantern's would be near impenetrable."

Terry's jaw went slack. "You're telling me that you could be the guy who saves the human race from intergalactic invasions, and you treat this like a science fair project?" Terry asked in an increasingly higher tone of voice. 

"That's what I said." Bruce grumbled. "His mind is brilliant. He only needs to think about something and he makes it happen. All you kids can do anything you set your mind to, brilliance runs in the family." 

Bruce complimented nonchalantly. He looked over his paper and shared a moment with Tim. The look was something Terry felt like he should be honoured to see, especially when the look was directed at Terry himself also. Was he part of the family officially now? Was Bruce starting to see him as an honorary child? 

"It wasn't all me. Bruce helped a little, so did Babs and Damian." Tim tried to be modest. "It might not even work. There's no point getting your hopes up. But if it works, then you'll be the first to test it out."

* * *

They finally made their way into the cave, only after Selena made both boys take a tray of tea down to Damian and Duke. She had thrown her back out at work and wasn't going to hazard stairs. 

Damian and Duke were taking a break, Duke was gesturing wildly and explaining something that made Damian fall apart into fits of laughter. It was brilliantly new to Terry, he rarely saw Damian grin let alone hysterically laugh. Terry found it oddly musical, like his laugh was computer generated to sound pleasant and infect others with it's ferocity.

"Terry! How is it going man?" Duke asked.

Terry was unprepared for this level of niceness this early in the day. Then he remembered that Duke didn't stay up all night, he was indeed a morning person.

"Good. Good." Terry answered. He set the tray down and yanked off his jumper. Why couldn't the cave always be warm?

"You bring your A game? You're gonna need it." Duke shrugged and dabbed the sweat off his chest.

"Oh man. Someone could have told me this was gonna be an intense session before I ate all of Bruce's waffles." Terry groaned and rubbed his bloated belly.

"Me and Damian are halfway through a blackout drill." Duke stopped to sip his drink. "It'll be about 20 minutes before we start."

Duke and Damian shared a look Terry couldn't decipher before they jogged back up to the training platform.

"You have read about Duke before right?" Tim asked. "When we told you to read our files."

Terry pulled a face. "I haven't read Stephanie's, Harper's, Jean Paul's or Duke's. Haven't even touched half the villains either. Am I missing something big?"

_Oh man are you missing something massive._ Tim sighed internally.

"Okay, I'll break it down for you." Tim sucked in a long breath. Tim broke down the basics of who Duke's biological father was, and the effects of his infinite blood on diseases, healing and aging. He explained about Duke various light based powers and how the Nth metal infusions they give him amplify his powers. Terry covered up at the mention of x-ray vision but Tim explained that he didn't use it when he wasn't in the field. He had complete control over his powers so malfunctions weren't a problem. 

Tim finished by motioning for Terry to follow him to see his last power, rather than have it explained. 

The clang of metal at the thud of bodies could be heard. But all Terry saw on the platform was a mass of black swirling around the mat. It's blackness was so deep, that he couldn't help but stare into it, mesmerised. He reached out, and swiped at the mass. It dissipated like smoke.

"Dude. What is this?" Terry whispered.

"Duke can control shadows. Generate them, move them, get rid of them." Tim smiled and pointed to the mass. "A good bat can fight blind."

The shadows sucked back into Duke's body. He laid on the floor laughing, but his bloodied nose told all about who'd win the fight.

"Lucky shot." Duke croaked. He wiped his face and took Damian's hand that offered to help him up.

For the first time ever, Terry saw Damian's back. He felt the sting of acid in his throat and looked down into his hands.

"Those shadow things were cool." Terry squeaked, trying to take his mind off things.

"Yeah they come in handy. Especially in an interrogation." Duke remarked. He let a shadow wind up his arm like a serpent.

"What? How?"

Duke chuckled and covered his entire body in a pulsating blackness. Terry stepped back from the demon-like figure and let his jaw go slack. Bright yellow orbs of light shone as eyes.

Then as quickly as it appeared, Duke's appearance reset back to normal.

"Bruce wishes he could have done that." Duke and Damian chuckled together. Terry sensed an inside joke.

"Go on McGinnis. Get changed and get back here. We've got work to do." Damian shooed Terry towards the changing rooms.

Tim watched the boy bounce over to the lockers like he was the happiest boy in the world.

_But I know what I saw._ Tim thought sadly. 

"Dami." Tim called. 

Damian's arms snaked around his waist and his mouth pressed into Tim's neck. "Yes handsome?" Damian growled. 

"You need to put a shirt on. Terry didn't look at all right when he saw you." Tim squirmed out of his lover's arms. 

"He's seen me before." Damian countered. 

"He's seen your chest, your front." Tim walked over to the spares chest and fished through it for a spare vest. He chucked one at Damian and nodded. "He hasn't seen your back. All those burns and whip scars, he looked like he was gonna throw up Dami." 

Damian sighed and wiggled into the vest. He made for the table and poured himself a cup of the tea. "I suppose it's a lot to look at. If he thinks this is his future then he'll always be scared." 

"Why don't you have a little talk with him about your childhood?" Tim offered. Damian's scowl revealed his opinion immediately. Tim held his hands up defensively. "It was just a thought. Maybe it would bond you two, he keeps asking questions about you and you keep giving him short answers."

"I give him enough. He knows I've killed people, he knows where I come from, he-" 

"But does he know how you feel about all of it? Like how it made you into you." Tim cut Damian off. "The only sliver of feelings and past I got from Bruce was Jason or his parents. Bruce put that barrier between me and him, between him and all of us."

"And?" Damian demanded. 

"And it hurt us all. Bruce only started sharing his feelings and being genuine with us all after Alfred died. Now we're stronger than ever. Don't you see how being more open with your protégés and building a truth with them is good?" Tim sat down and took a breath. 

_Don't push too hard Tim. You know it isn't easy._ He thought to himself.

"I'm just saying Dami, that Terry knows you as you are now, but he could know you better if he knew all of the 'whys' and 'hows'. He obviously thinks the world of you, please let him in a little more. It shows you care and he kinda needs a role model in his life now. I did all those years ago." Tim stiffened at his last few words. 

"He's right." Duke piped up from across the way. "It was important for me to have Bruce after my parents were jokerized. Bruce and Selena became my parents by proxy, and I wouldn't be me without them. Kids like us, we just need strong guidance. You agreed to focus his feelings and determination, why not help out with the rest. There are some things you can't talk to a mom about." 

Damian offered a smile. "I'll try. Only because I don't want Jason being the one he looks up to entirely."

The trio giggled as Terry walked back up the steps. 

"I'm ready! What are we starting with?" He asked. His face was freshly splashed with water and his eyes were glittering. He was a picture of childish purity and energy. 

"Go warm up and stretch. You need to be limber." Damian commanded. 

He held Tim back for a minute while Duke and Terry went ahead. 

"For the record, you completely missed that you are the main male role model for him. You gave him your life stories in a book and you think he wouldn't look to you first rather than me?" Damian chuckled. "For someone so clever you can be awfully stupid Timothy." He smacked Tim on the shoulder and made his way up to Duke. 

Tim stopped for a second. 

_Oh._

* * *

Damian started by teaching the basic principles of kicks, punches, strikes and holds. Terry breezed through the kicks and punches, his little slivers of experience acting as a stepping stone. 

The holds proved more difficult, Duke directed while Damian was a guinea pig for being restrained by Terry's skinny arms. 

Tim watched from afar with curiosity and pride. He was not listed as one of Terry's primary combat instructors, so he stayed clear until he was wanted. 

He was glad in many ways. Ever since Damian was 10, he had been reluctant to teach anyone a skill only he knew. Not even his own father was privy to the League of Assassin's most complex techniques. At first it might've been to prove his superiority, Damian could lord it over the family that he knew things they didn't. But Tim thought that because he still would never budge on sharing said techniques later in his life, that maybe Damian wanted to leave that part of his life behind. That perhaps he didn't want to spread Ra's Al Ghul's teachings any more than they already have been. 

_Guess I was wrong._ Tim mused as he studied the breakdown Damian was giving. 

He was holding Duke's arm out and pointing to several points. Damian tapped them in quick succession then wrenched Duke's arm forward. Duke's scream pierced through the cave, it was a blood chilling scream that persisted until Damian massaged the man's arm and straightened it. 

_Most definitely a league move. Paralysing the upper arm and playing havoc with nerves._ Tim nodded. _I bet Duke wasn't expecting it to hurt that much when he volunteered._

After some nods and a small hug of apology for Duke's benefit, Damian held his arm out for Terry and nudged him to try it. 

Terry grinned evilly and copied the move perfectly. Damian growled and gritted his teeth with pain until he himself could set it right. 

Duke's half of the lesson was more focused on flow. Tim thought it would be, considering Duke fought like a stream of strikes and shadows. His combat always looked like a carefully choreographed dance to Tim, in the best way possible. 

Tim took particular note, despite training regularly with Duke, Tim stupidly considered himself to be a far superior fighter. What could he learn from Duke that he didn't already know? 

_A lot as it turns out._ Tim smiled. 

Duke's style fascinated Tim, and apparently Terry also. He blocked and parried moves in a way Tim would never consider. 

Bruce's teachings were almost like a step by step, if an opponent did one thing, Tim was taught that there was a primary, secondary and tertiary response to choose from. It worked, it had never failed Tim in his life. 

Tim boiled it down to many things, Duke's upbringing, how he was late to the vigilante game, his powers and the freedoms they allowed him. But maybe it was just who Duke was, a free spirit and his own man. 

Duke responded to certain moves with a response that could never work in Tim's eyes. But when instructed, Terry used Duke's suggestions to end their spar completely . A clean takedown. 

_Katana or Jeff probably taught him some of this._

Tim's brain worked overdrive. He analysed the lesson as if he was the student. A younger Bruce's voice echoed in his head. _You can learn something new from everyone, even if you think you know everything._ Tim recited internally. 

"Tim!" Terry's bubbly voice shook him from his mind. 

"Uh huh." Tim smiled back instinctively at the childish wonder in the boy's eyes. 

"Come teach me something." Terry begged. "After their lessons, Damian and Duke both showed me something special."

"I don't have anything special." Tim waved Terry off modestly. "I'm just good with a staff."

_Oh yeah. I am good with staff. The best in fact. Why not show him something?_ Tim grinned. 

He walked over to the training racks and grabbed two staffs. He handed one to Terry and winked at Damian who was smirking victoriously. Even after a great time with Duke and Damian, Terry still wanted to do something with Tim, his main role model. 

"You've been shown all the points you can hit someone to maximise effectiveness, correct?" Tim asked. 

"Yep. All 40 of them." Terry nodded and weighed the pole up in his hands. It was heavier than the boy had expected but was balanced perfectly. 

"Then hit them on me. The staff is an extension of you, use it however you like. You could learn the best form later." Tim stood neutrally with the staff in his hands. 

Terry launched forward and tried to drive the butt of the staff into Tim's knee. Tim blocked it by simply flicking his staff down. 

Terry tried for a shoulder, but Tim stepped back and cracked their staffs together, a deflection. 

"You see how it's an organic movement. The staff deflects with one end and can attack with the other. In one fluid motion." Tim demonstrated some hits on the air. "I'll go slow, but when you see a hit coming, block it the same way you've been taught to block with your hands. Then return."

Tim went in with a few testing hits and let Terry get used to the precise nature of Tim's favoured weapon. Then he went to work. He sped up and aimed for all the obvious areas. 

Terry blocked every single hit. The pace change shocked him into action and now he was flying, he used Tim's momentum to get his staff clear so Terry could launch his own attack. 

For a moment, amidst all the blur of mood and their rapid movement, Tim could see himself on the other side. The same amateur kid picking up a staff for the first time and sparring with Lady Shiva until he realised: he could do it. All he needed to know was points of attack and points of defense, then apply it using one long limb. 

Tim remembered it well. It was the first time he felt worthy to be Batman's partner. It was the first time he felt like he was indeed cut out for the job. 

He could only hope and pray that Terry felt something similar. 

If the smile was any indication, then he was. 

Tim halted and was about to give congratulations, when the staff was sent skittering across the room and his legs were no longer on the floor. He landed with a thud and held back the object against his neck instinctively. 

"Did I do it?" Terry asked breathlessly. 

Tim looked back at Duke and Damian who were stunned with shock and completely unblinking. He rose to his feet and swept the sweaty strands of hair from Terry's face. 

"You did great."

Terry raced off for a drink. Footsteps approached, no doubt Duke and Damian coming to ask how the hell Tim taught an untrained kid how to use a staff in minutes. 

Tim felt warm. It wasn't the cave anymore. No, this heat came from inside. It was bubbly like Terry and felt equally as childish. 

_Huh. There's that feeling again._


	85. In a Dream

Batman whipped around the warehouse and sent smoke pellets skittering across the floor.

The sheet of bullets all hit the wall at the same time, peppering the cape that flowed behind him.

"Move up, he's backing into a dead end."

Damian sighed and held steady behind the support pillar. He plucked a drone from his belt and scanned the device over himself. He flung it across the room and let the hologram version of himself take the bullets.

When he heard that Jackanapes the gorilla had holed up in a warehouse not far from Blackgate, Damian assumed he'd be lying low. After all, what kind of supervillain would conduct a massive weapons deal less than a mile from the prison they'd end up at. Jackanapes would as it seemed, for a gorilla interested in molecular biology he wasn't massively intelligent. 

He bolted from the scene. Damian had dropped down and injected him with the same Ketamine they used for Killer Croc.

It was foolish of Damian to assume he'd by laying low, and it was foolish of Damian to leave the question of who the weapons were for another time. He wasn't focused.

The hail of bullets forced him to choose between his life or catching the gorilla.

Damian pounced from his cover and toppled to two men closest to him. He swept the legs of the third and smashed his head off the ground mercilessly.

He unclipped the cape and jumped. He used the electro adhesion bond on his arms and toes to crawl along the ceiling. Much more akin to a spider than a bat. The cape would've dropped and gave him away, Damian had long considered ditching it. 

Damian never really felt like a bat personified him well, neither did Robin. He was simply an apex predator, a name was needless when he was too quick to be seen and too powerful to beat. But the names certainly added flair and a reputation. 

"Where did he go?" A henchman wafted the smoke aside and looked round the corner Damian was hiding behind.

Batman couldn't help but scoff, Gotham used to have a better class of henchmen.

He dropped two flashbangs onto the ground and used the firework display to finish the last two of Jackanapes' helpers.

When he was halfway through tying up the batch, one of the scum decided it was time to rouse from his induced sleep.

"A word of advice kid." Damian growled. "At least find a better boss."

"I just go where the money is." The boy spat.

Shots ripped through Damian's arm and shoulder. He leaped behind his trusty pillar and peeked around the corner.

"We knew you'd take the bait Batman." The gorilla's voice was humoured and light. In his mind, he'd already won. "I paid those boys a lot to take the beating, now I can take my time with you. You like the armour piercing rounds? Doesn't help that the cape you detached is the primary armour source on your back."

Damian closed his eyes and sighed. He was absolutely going to do something about the cape. 

He was tired and unprepared. The ketamine did nothing at all, Jackanapes ran because he needed to take something out of the building. Damian cursed himself again. How was he so out of touch that he couldn't put together a simple plan like this?

"I'll tell you what Batman." The gun clattered to the floor. The gorilla started to huff and beat his chest. "We'll do this the old fashioned way."

"Now that's more like it." Damian whispered to himself. He squeezed the last of the skin fibres into the bullet holes and hoped the glue-like mix could hold the bleeding at bay long enough.

Batman stepped out and mockingly saluted the ape. It only angered him, much to Damian's delight.

The ape charged and flew at Damian. Batman ducked and pushed the muscled abdomen as hard as he could while the ape was midair.

Jackanapes flew into the wall with a crack. His head lolled and spewed thick red onto the concrete behind him.

Damian wasn't going to wait to see if the lucky hit was enough. He drove his foot into the ape's head and made sure the wound took twice the damage.

The huge fist closed around his arm. It was too late to wrench free. He felt his arm crack and grind in a few places. In the midst of the pain, Damian found himself rolling across the floor after being thrown, he didn't even remember lifting off the ground. He was regretting the head on fight. 

He rarely found himself in desperate situations like this, the last time was choosing between Harley and the Joker months back. Now he had to choose between running, or making one last push that could result in death.

He chose death.

He chose to stare it in the face again, it was covered in fur and drenched in blood.

As Jackanapes bounded, making the concrete floor vibrate and shake. Damian steeled himself for the blow he had to take in order to finish it.

The fist crunched Damian's ribs. At least 5 were broken and at least 1 had just pierced his left lung.

But that was okay, because the charge was set and in the ape's mouth.

One of Tim's inventions. A small round disk that sends out a massive continuous pulse of electricity. They used them to disable, planes and massive computer systems. It would kill a man, but not a gorilla.

The ape writhed on the ground and emptied his bladder. His eyes begged Damian to make it stop. His howls were barely human, they had reverted to a primal, animal screech.

Damian thought it might've been cruel to leave the creature frying until he passed out, but the damage he'd taken stoked a particular savageness inside him. He enjoyed the suffering just long enough to feel satisfied. 

His killer instinct was steepling his fingers. He still tempted Damian with more. He sat perched on the spot in Damian's mind jeering him on and bedding to be fed scraps of death and beating hearts. 

He hit the button on his belt and stopped the charge, the ape's chest was still rising and falling. Damian's killer instinct backed off into its hiding place. 

The tied henchmen looked between each other in shock and wondered what would become of them now that they had jeered on their boss.

Damian straightened his limp and put on the facade that he was fine as he walked over to the group. He looked down on one man with disgust and contempt. He laughed as Damian was being beaten; Damian took it personally.

He brought his working fist down onto the man's jaw again and again until his front was sheeted in blood and drool. Teeth were scattered around his barely conscious body. 

Damian pulled the man's fractured jaw up and made him look deep into the glowing whiteout lenses. "Try laughing and smiling at me without teeth."

He looked over at the young man whom he spoke to earlier. His face was pure fear. Tears welled in his eyes and his lips trembled. Damian knew he'd be in a cold sweat, barely daring to breathe. "Get yourself straight, get a better boss. A real one. If I see you, any of you, again." Damian paused to smirk at their whimpers. "You get that treatment."

* * *

The Batmobile scanned his injuries and set itself to autopilot. Damian was grateful, driving with one arm was hard enough, but his head was swimming and his vision was shaky. 

"Computer, dial The Flash." Damian groaned. 

The phone was picked up instantly. Damian expected nothing less. 

"Yo Batman. What do you need at 1am?" Wally chirped. 

"Wally." Damian coughed blood. "Are you busy?" 

"No, quiet night tonight. Rogues are planning something, I can feel it." Wally's voice lowered as his concern heightened. "Are you okay?" 

"5 bullets in my shoulder and one in my liver. Shattered arm and broken ribs. I had a run in with a gorilla." Damian rasped. "Can you come handle it, and bring the tranquilliser collars you use for Grodd. Jackanapes had developed an immunity to our stuff."

"Yep sure thing." A whoosh of air could be heard over the line. "I see you've sent me the marker already. I'm on it Damian, go home." Wally ordered. 

"The cars already locked me in." Damian laughed then screamed in pain. 

"I'll swing by after the police have come." Wally shut the line off leaving Damian to sightsee the city as it was dusted with snow. 

He fell out of the car and crawled a short distance into the cave before being picked up by a set of arms. Blackness closed in at the first sign of safety. 

* * *

Damian would've sat up. But the drugs being pumped into his arm kept him glued to the mattress. 

"Where's Wally?" Damian rasped. Even with the meds his breathing felt like crushed glass. 

Tim scoffed at the unintentional pun and held Damian's working hand. "He had to go home, Jai and Irey had just woken up. He was worried about you, you never call for help."

"Tell him he has my thanks." Damian shuffled up and winced at the pain in his arm. Everything hurt. "What's the damage?"

"You're benched. All the Gotham Knights had a vote, and you're out for at least a month then to a review." Tim commanded. "Your arm wasn't broken in clean pieces. Just long fractures running up the bone. The bullets went straight through, except for the one in your liver, that had to be dug out. Good news is that it didn't bleed so much that it was life threatening. But you're definitely gonna feel it aching for a week. And your lung wasn't badly punctured, call it a persistent poke."

Damian laughed and gripped the side of the bed to cope with the searing heat gnawing at his chest. 

"What the fuck happened Dami?" Tim asked. His voice was distinctly non-confrontational and smooth. Damian would've been irritated if he was of sound mind and not flooded with drugs. 

He didn't have an answer for Tim, what the fuck did happen? 

He did in fact have an answer, but not one he was willing to realise. He was complacent, lazy and foolish. He had been for some time, small time goons had been able to get the jump on him, he'd missed evidence that Terry's fresh eyes immediately picked up on. Even going back further to the Joker's return, he was late to the punch and let Punchline drug him and send him on a emotionally draining trip. He just wanted to be in bed with Tim, or in Alfred's corner sewing new designs together. He was tired of the fight, he was tired of the long nights and harsh weather. He didn't want to subject himself to the needless punishment of the darkness. 

"I don't know how much longer I can do this." Damian muttered shamefully. 

Just saying the words lifted the weight off his shoulders. But it was short lived, it was replaced by shame. 

"What?" Tim recoiled and tried to meet Damian's gaze. 

"Batman. Patrol. This life. I don't know how much longer I can do it Tim. It's not as easy as it used to be." Damian's lip quivered. 

"How long?" Tim held his fiancé's jaw and brushed the single tear away. Tim looked upon Damian as he truly was: a vulnerable and beaten man. The facade was even enough to fool Tim. He cursed that he could only see what had been happening at this moment and not sooner as he should've. Tim said he'd always protect Damian and make him happy. 

Somewhere along the line, he'd failed. 

"Years. I told father I wanted this, but about a year into our relationship I started to dream of these futures where we had children, and we'd watch them play in the summer while we just relaxed in our retirement. It was heaven Timothy, but it cannot be attained while I'm doing this. While you're Red Robin and I'm Batman we can never stop and raise a family or live our lives to the fullest." Damian pulled Tim's hand away from his face and looked away into the cave. "This is my responsibility Timothy. I chose to wear this mantle and now I'm cursed to relinquish my life in service of another empire. My life is exactly as Talia planned just with different components."

"Quit then." Tim stated plainly. "You've done enough. I've done enough. You don't owe this to anyone." 

"No!" Damian growled.

Tim jumped at severity in his voice. 

"Timothy I can't leave Gotham like this. I can't leave Terry without a mentor. I may not be happy with my life, but this is my life until I find a successor." Damian sighed. "If I quit now, I'm an embarrassment. I'd bring shame to us all if I didn't do my duty and honour the birthright I fought you all for. This is what I wanted Timothy. I wanted to be Batman so badly and now I can't stand myself."

"If you're not going to quit then what can you do? Suffer and kill yourself by fighting actual gorillas and fake Jokers?." Tim snapped. 

"No! I'm going to pull myself together and do what must be done. I have a responsibility to Terry, he needs Robin and Robin needs a Batman." Damian sat upright and winced. "A successor will present themselves soon. There is always someone who is inspired by the bat and is worthy. Batman Incorporated found dozens of them."

"You can't just suck it up and do something you hate nearly every night when lives depend on it." Tim whined. "Dami you can't. I'll do it if I have to."

"I'll be able to do it if I know I have you." Damian leaned forward and kissed Tim's tear stained lips. "I want to marry you."

"We kinda covered this a few months back. Rings, badly coordinated double proposal, great sex." Tim chuckled. 

"No, I want to marry you as soon as I can." Damian whispered. "We're taking Terry to San Francisco in the new year, you can get married in a matter of days over there." 

"Dami. The venue, the league went out of their way to book it in their name for us. All the money and time we spent-" 

Damian kissed Tim again, with all the love he could muster in his drugged state. "Marry me Tim. We can still do all the massive wedding later. I just want you and me to be connected and committed forever. The job keeps on getting weirder, whether I'm on form or not. I don't want to die without marrying you first."

"Dami don't talk like that." Tim chided.

"Between us, we've been at death's door 12 times since you came back. In our entire careers it's thousands, I've even died before." Damian argued. "Marry me Tim."

"Okay." Tim giggled. "Okay, fuck it. Let's get married. But you have to promise me that you'll find whatever joy you can in being Batman and you'll talk to me when you're not feeling it. No bullshit."

"I promise you I'll make it work. In order for us to have that perfect future, I need to see this story out to the end. I'll get my shit together Tim, for us. Besides, Terry has been making me feel different about things, he centers me in a way I can't explain. My duty to him outweighs my problem, he deserves this." Damian promised. He held their hands together in an iron grip. He meant every word. 

"So what were our kids called in this dream?" Tim asked as he helped Damian to his feet. He knew it was futile to argue when the drip and wires had already been removed. 

"I never got a clear look at our eldest child. They were both boys though. Our little one was called Janan. We chose it because it sounds similar to your mother's name while still honoring my Arabic heritage. It means heart and soul." Damian explained with a blush. He was embarrassed to admit he'd memorised every detail of these vivid fantasies. In his short hours of slumber, these dreams had taken him to a greater level of joy than even Tim could bring. There was nothing he wanted more. 

"Jah-nahn" Tim sounded out. "I like it, glad you didn't dream up a name that sounded powerful like Damian, Caesar or Alexander. Something sweet like Janan is cute, doesn't put so much pressure on them."

"You realise that Timothy means to honour God. Shameful for an atheist to have such a hypocritical name." Damian chided with a chuckle that stopped him in his tracks. He wiped blood with the back of his hand and lowered his legs to the floor. 

"You can tell me more later. Bruce and Selena will want to shout and moan at you first. He spent most of the night operating on you and Selena had a happy ending to their date planned." Tim held Damian's arm over his shoulder and helped him limp up the steps. 

"Bleugh. I don't want to hear about my parents doing that." Damian cringed. "Terry's round this morning, I think I should take your advice Timothy."

* * *

"What the actual fuck happened to you?" Terry laughed nervously and poked the cast on Damian's arm. His hair was still snow dusted and his pale cheeks were pinched red. Terry had heard the aftermath of Bruce's disappointment. All the harsh words raining down on Damian about how disappointed he was and how Bruce taught him that he couldn't fight large opponents alone, especially crazed gorillas. He even thought he heard a catch in Bruce's throat, but Selena just shook her head and made a joke to Terry about not asking. 

Terry couldn't help but compare it to Damian's punishment. A softly spoken acknowledgement of disappointment and making him clean all the cars seemed like a cakewalk compared to Bruce's maelstrom of emotions. His shouting fluttered between anger, pain, disappointment, love then back to anger again. 

He pulled a pen from his coat and wrote the standard message that any reasonable highschooler writes on a cast. 

"Terry woz here." Damian read. "And an ejacluating penis. Appropriately childish. I expected nothing less." He chuckled and showed it off to the rest of the family.

"Lemme get in on that." Jason hopped up and tapped Damian's chest before he could complain.

"Cockbreath." Damian sighed. "The Titans are going to have a field day with all this."

"So I know it involves a gorilla, and you got owned, but that's it." Terry popped down on the sofa and swung his legs over Jason's, making himself extremely comfortable in their home. "So what happened?"

Bruce let out a growl and excused himself.

"I didn't get owned. I made a gorilla lose control of his bodily functions." Damian corrected. "It went south and I fucked up. That's all you need to know."

"Carry on talking like that and people will start calling you Bruce." Selena remarked.

She returned clad in skintight black. Her chrome claws sparkled in the winter morning light. She adjusted her belt and a diamond dropped to the rug. She eyed it and rolled her eyes in disgust before tossing it at Terry.

Terry inspected the diamond and knew immediately that it was real. He couldn't believe what Selena was wearing.

"Selena you're 46! You look fantastic!" Terry exclaimed.

Selena patted her real and adjusted her boots proudly. "Thank you kitten. Just remember about a lady's age. Even the police had to estimate my age, only you know the real deal. Besides, it's so much funnier if people think Bruce is a dirty old man sleeping with a woman younger than his daughter."

"That time in Mexico when someone asked Bruce how much he was paying for you." Jason and Selena fell into hysterical laughter.

"Do me a favour and behave today. Ya dad's already in a mood and I'm itching for an excuse to storm out and rob a bank. Want to keep me on the straight and narrow, be nice." She kissed each boy on the cheek, reserving a special hug for her injured son before leaving dramatically and cracking her whip outside.

"She's still got." Terry remarked. "She's exactly like all those Catwoman stories we heard growing up." He looked at the diamond again and slipped it into his pocket.

"I know you were excited for your training with me today Terry, but I'm benched by a unanimous vote." Damian chewed his lip and nodded at Tim. "I thought I'd rather have a chat with you and share some things if that's okay?"

Jason wiggled out from under Terry's legs and made himself scarce.

Terry felt the mood change instantly. He sat up straight and shuffled closer to the couple, giving them his undivided attention.

"I wanted to talk about my past, because it has been pointed out that I haven't been entirely honest with you." Damian's eyes flicked to Tim. "Do you want to know who I am?"

"Yeah. I mean Tim kinda explained everything in the journals, but I only know that you were raised by assassins and have killed people." Terry looked down at the pillow. "That's one thing I wasn't gonna be nosey about."

Damian sighed and started to tell his story. He kept all the details brief and not at all gory. From his manufactured birth, the year of blood, to his fights on each birthday until he could finally best his mother and meet Bruce.

Terry thought that was traumatic enough. Being ordered to kill and enjoying it as Damian used to unsettled him to his core. Everything he'd heard about Ra's Al Ghul and his daughter was twisted into something far worse than Terry could've even comprehended. Damian explained the gashes on his back were from whipping when he hesitated or failed. There weren't that many, because he learned back when he was 4 or 5 that he couldn't fail anymore. 

Then Damian began his story of what happened after. His adventures with Dick and how his spine is actually an artificial implant that was designed to grow with him. Damian's lip trembled as he recounted the events of his mother placing a bounty on him. When he uttered the very words that his own monstrous twin had killed him, he broke into tears and buried himself into Tim.

Terry had no idea that there was so much emotion and trauma simmering below the surface. Damian's emotions teeter on the brink of collapse. 

If Damian was honest with himself, his own death only really started to mess with him later on in life. At the time he shrugged it off as a passing moment, he had his year if atonement to worry about. But as he aged and really took time to think that his mother had sentenced him to death, defying all of nature's maternal instincts, he found it to be a source of crippling pain that he didn't know was there. The more he learned to love, the more he realised he'd been deprived of it by Talia. 

"When I came back to life, I did everything I could to better myself. I went on a year of atonement to repent for my darkest sins. I changed into my final form as it were Terry, I shed the grief of my old life and tried to build a new one." Damian held Tim's hand tightly. "I had to wait a little longer to apologise to Tim, I tried letters, emails, phone calls but it was never right. So when it was time to apologise and pack up the final part of my old self, that's when we happened."

"Damian. I. I-" Terry stopped his sentence and simply embraced his mentor. He didn't have words right now. He understood now what Damian was: A good man. He had changed from a cold blooded killer to the warmest soul with too much love to give. He'd endured the hard road of change and deserved to be free of this grief, it pained Terry to know that he still harboured it inside him.

Tim wiped a tear and slipped away to give Batman and Robin a moment.

"You've been through so much shit. I feel so shitty for asking how many people you'd killed now. I didn't get it before, but I do now." Terry squeezed his mentor enough to make him wince in pain.

"Don't feel pity for me, I've come to terms with my past. It still hurts, but it doesn't own me." Damian accepted the cup handed to him by Tim.

"So what's Ra's and Talia doing now?" Terry asked.

"Ra's died. Timothy and our other allies tracked down every single Lazarus Pit in the world and destroyed them. Muddied the waters and cut off the sources. I hear he died in battle, but it was more likely that he died of an old age disease. Where Jason and I have lazarus blood which helps sustain us for longer, Ra's blood was dirty with it. He needed frequent submersions to keep him alive each one sooner than the last. Once they were gone, he would've had a year or two." Damian laughed bitterly. "Talia is now the Demon's head. What's left of the League is governed by her."

"You don't ever hear from her?" Terry tried to sound sympathetic, he already knew the answer.

"Not since about 2014." Damian shrugged. "Putting a bounty on my head, killing me, coming back to life and trying to gain my allegiance doesn't sit well. In my year of atonement she was around. She helped and said all these lies about her wanting to change. I gave her the chances, but she did indeed go back to her old ways. I told her I never wanted to see her again when she reached out. For all she did to help me she deserved a chance, but she wasn't to contact me again unless it was with an apology. I have a mother!" Damian lowered his voice that had started to unconsciously crept up. "While she's also a criminal, she's the only mother that's shown me love. Besides, Selena didn't kill thousands of people, she never harmed anyone like that. I've known Selena since I first started as Robin. When her and my father actually entered a proper relationship in 2017, she was immediately supportive of me. She took an interest in me. Loved me. She never wanted me to be anything but myself. Talia wanted me to rule an empire and the world. Selena just wants me to be happy. She claims she isn't the motherly type, and that she can't handle the security of a normal married life. It's a lie. She's good at it, and I'm thankful Father has her."

Damian nodded to himself and smiled faintly into the cup. 

Terry had no gauge on how traumatic it was explaining his life, but he knew Damian looked tired and exhausted. 

"Thanks for this Damian. But you look like shit, so I'm gonna finish this and let you sleep." Terry lifted the cup of tea to his lips. 

"Was it that obvious?" Damian chuckled with a grimace of pain. "I most definitely feel worse than I look. I need another dose of painkillers already."

"I'll take you home, come on." Tim kissed Damian goodbye and shooed Terry out of the house, not before the boy shouted his goodbye through the house.

Damian smiled to himself. "You can stop lurking now you two." 

Bruce and Jason creeped in. 

"I'm proud of you son. It's not easy to lay things out like that." Bruce ruffled Damian's hair and peeked out the window to see Tim drive off. 

* * *

"So how was your Christmas Terry?" Tim asked eagerly. They passed the Manor gates and sped off down to the bridge. 

"Great. It's weird without Matt and Dad, but it was good to spend time with mom. She literally is the only blood family I've got now. Well I have relatives but we don't talk to them." Terry picked a crumb off the dashboard and ground it to dust. 

"Are you excited for San Francisco? Mary's still okay with it right?" Tim chewed his lip, he hoped the answer was still yes. 

"Of course. The whole mentoring thing that Damian used as cover still works. Mom loved the idea of me seeing a whole manufacturing plant then sightseeing for a few days. I mean I'm not, but she likes that she thinks I am. Y'know?" Terry giggled over his fumbled words. 

"Titans tower." Tim remarked. "You'll love it. I'll make sure everyone behaves."

"It's kinda a big step, the Titans aren't a bunch of teenagers anymore, you're like the Justice League but way more laid back." 

"Actually." Tim started with the widest grin. "We completed 21 more missions on Earth than all the other Justice Leagues combined last year. Making us Earth's first line of defense, not them." Tim chuckled. "They do a lot of intergalactic work."

"Are they nice like you lot? Or will the Titans be worried about a new kid stepping into their home?" Terry asked. 

"The Tower is a place for all heroes to grow and learn at their own pace, with friends and people who know what they're going through. Yes, me and Damian are coming, but we're not doing any training with you. You could ask the Titans for some pointers but me and Damian use it as a holiday if we're not running missions. You probably won't see a lot of us if you get stuck in." Tim drove further into midtown and glanced over at a distinctly more relaxed Terry. "You'll be fine."

"Why are we stopping at a drive through?" Terry asked. He eyed the menu regardless of the 'whys'. 

"Because I need food and I need to speak with you seriously away from the rest of them." Tim confirmed. 

He took their orders and drove to a secluded spot near the docks. They ate in mostly silence, while Terry pondered over what could be so important yet so private. 

Tim eventually turned in his seat and explained that what was said in the car must under all circumstances stay a secret. Terry blindly agreed and shuffled to soak in the new information fully. 

Tim explained what Damian told him about his reluctance to be Batman anymore, and how it had led to some carelessness and fatigue with the job. He explained how Terry was Damian's saving grace, and that having him around helped keep him focused and on the ball. 

"I know this is a lot to ask of you Terry and I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to, but I need you to start weaning him away from Batman. This will take years of slow, methodical actions that eventually ready him to give it up." Tim asked. 

Terry nodded immediately. "I'll do anything to save him. You name it and I'll do it."

"I need you to cut patrols early if you can. Little excuses and pushes. I need you to make him have more breaks in the night. Stay out of the cold. Make sure he eats. Make sure he's focused. Once you're trained, I'd like you to take the lead more often when it's safe so he feels a little redundant in the cowl. He won't give up forcibly, so we need to make his time left as Batman easy so when a successor comes along, the handover won't be like he's losing himself." Tim grimaced at how manipulative it sounded. 

"Tim. I'd do anything you ask. Especially if it's for yours or Damian's benefit." Terry smiled brightly. "I'll just make sure he's happy. There's nothing more I can do. Who knows, maybe he'll like it again with me around full time."

"I just don't want you to pick up more and then the burden falls on you-"

"Tim." Terry cut him off. "I've got this. All I want to do now is help people, this is my calling in life. I won't let the job own me or dictate my life, I promise."

_I've heard that before._ Tim frowned internally.

"Besides, you could do your own thing. Before he goes out, just make some come to bed eyes at him and hope you're hot enough." Terry barely shielded himself from the playful smack. Tim smiled behind his frown and pulled the car back onto the road.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home." Terry called. He slipped his shoes off and hung his jacket on the hook. 

"How are they all?" She called back. Mary was sitting in the living room reading one of her Astronomy journals. Terry had tried on multiple occasions to understand them, but it looked like gibberish for the most part.

"Great. I got a gift for you actually." Terry fished the diamond out of his pocket and presented it to his mother. 

She took it and held it to the light. "This cannot be real." 

"Well it fell out of one of Selena's Catwoman suits and she threw it at me, so yeah it'd be real." Terry shrugged. "Just don't try to sell it, maybe we'll find a necklace to get it set into or something?" 

"I'll have to meet her one day." Mary started. "We all wanted to look like Catwoman back in the day, the few photographs there were of her were all big curly hair and a body to die for. She was Gotham's own supermodel." 

"She still is. The suit still fits apparently." Terry chuckled. He bounced up the stairs and shut his room door carefully. 

He thought about what Tim had said, everything about a successor and what role he'd play.

He pulled out his notepad and started to write a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've slightly manipulated the nature of lazarus pits just to fit the story. People like ra's would have to use it more often, because his natural aging is accelerated. He can't go more than a few years without a submersion.


	86. Agreed

Tim slouched on his office couch and rubbed his eyes. He had to go into work and get ahead on work so his time away wouldn't leave him a mountain of work to be done on his return. Even Lucas gave up his new year's day to help.

After asking multiple times if Damian was deadly serious about getting married early, Tim booked their appointment to sign for their marriage licence the afternoon they touched down in San Francisco. 

Tim thought the idea was ludicrous, spur of the moment and wild. It was everything he expected of an emotional Damian. 

Superman himself had booked the Sunstone Villa in California for the couple. It took every ounce of Clark's charm and glowing smiles to get the owners to agree to let the 'Justice League' have full reign of the villa for an overnight event. It also took a stack of contracts for liability and over 2 million dollars to secure the venue without any of their staff being there. 

Many strings had been pulled on Tim and Damian's behalf, the entire world's heroes agreed to work double time in the week leading up to the wedding just so they could all attend at the day wouldn't be ruined by an international crisis. 

Tim thought about how magical their day would still be almost every passing hour at work. Even this day, when Lucas was chewing his ear off rambling about a story that occurred over Christmas while they were eating lunch together. 

Tim pulled out his phone and decided to offer his plans up to the Titans before they left Thursday morning. 

  
  


> **TEENY TITANS TALK**
> 
> _01/01/2025_
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> @Everyone
> 
> I'm bringing the new Robin with me and Damian tomorrow. I just wanted to warn everyone that he will probably take his mask off and introduce himself, so I wanted to ask if you were all up for introducing yourselves as you, not the heroes?
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> Do you absolutely trust him? 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> With my life.
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> Then I'm Cassie Sandsmark tomorrow. I trust your judgement and that's enough :) 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> I'll be Bart. Should I use Allen, Garricj or Mercury? I've go by akl of thrm???? 
> 
> **Jaime 🐞:**
> 
> For sure. I haven't got much to hide. 
> 
> **Miguel🏗️:**
> 
> He's probably seen pictures of me up in Jay's place anyway. I'm cool with it. 
> 
> **The Most Super Of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> The glasses are coming off 😂😂
> 
> **Kori 🌟:**
> 
> If you trust this boy, then I'm sure every Titan would be trusting in your opinion and let him in on their identities. You have been a good friend to all of us Tim, we know you wouldn't endanger us. Everyone agreed? 
> 
> **Megan 💁♀️:**
> 
> Agreed
> 
> **Rose ⚔️:**
> 
> Agreed
> 
> **Jackson 🐳:**
> 
> Agreed :) 
> 
> **Mia 🏹:**
> 
> Agreed
> 
> **Kara 💪:**
> 
> Agreed
> 
> **Gar 🐾:**
> 
> I'm literally a movie star, he already knows me.
> 
> **Raven:**
> 
> Agreed. Stop bragging Gar
> 
> **Kiran 🌞:**
> 
> Agreed
> 
> **Wallace 🏃🏿♂️:**
> 
> Agreed. 
> 
> **Spoiler Alert ⚠️:**
> 
> He's already met me. And loves me. 
> 
> **Damian 🦇:**
> 
> Agreed
> 
> **The Most Super Of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Shut up, you're the one bringing him 😂
> 
> **Damian 🦇:**
> 
> 🤷🏾♂️
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> Means a lot guys. Thanks. I can't wait to see you all, I've been neglecting my duty since that gnarly mission in November. 
> 
> **The Most Super Of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> We collectively decided to never bring that up again.
> 
> **Vic 🤖:**
> 
> So what's he like then? Is he like any of you other Robins? 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> He's a lot like us, but with our best qualities put together. He's just so much fun to be around, there's some youthful spirit in the Manor again. Absolute heart of gold, he'd do anything for anyone. 
> 
> **Damian 🦇:**
> 
> Looks a lot like Timothy did when he was younger. 
> 
> **Rose ⚔️:**
> 
> Damn, another do gooder 🙄
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> I look forward to meeting him. I skimmed the file you uploaded with only the Robin stuff included and he seems promising. Way more ready that we were at his age. 
> 
> **Damian 🦇:**
> 
> He is very talented indeed. I'm proud of him.
> 
> **The Most Super Of Boyz 💪:**
> 
> Rachel, Damian is doing that thing where he acts like a human again. Get rid of his emotions before he becomes self aware. 
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> OMG imagine if he's like a little Damian 😂
> 
> **Damian 🦇:**
> 
> Thankfully he's much more like Timothy, I'll make sure he uses that to manipulate you all. 
> 
> **Babs Knows All 🖥️:**
> 
> He's a cool kid. Asks way too many questions though, so be prepared. It's weird because you feel compelled to answer, Damian probably taught him that one. 
> 
> **Jackson 🐳:**
> 
> Barbara, what gives? You don't vouch for anyone without a full Internet check, and bat interrogation. 
> 
> **Babs Knows All 🖥️:**
> 
> I learned the hard way to not vet a teenager's Internet history. Duke was a nightmare.
> 
> **Bright Eyes 💡:**
> 
> I said not to mention that ever! 
> 
> **Bart ⚡:**
> 
> Omdddhsb What was on therw Duke?! 
> 
> **Babs Knows All 🖥️:**
> 
> Well you know Duke likes to write... 
> 
> **Bright Eyes 💡:**
> 
> Babs!!! 
> 
> **Mia 🏹:**
> 
> Bet he reads 'The Signal' fanfiction. I'd lay money on it 😂😂
> 
> **Tim🦆:**
> 
> There are some things me and Dami would prefer to not know. Please guys. Talk about Cassie's badly cut bangs. 
> 
> **Cassie 🔩⚡:**
> 
> I thought it'd look quirky, but it's a bit lopsided. Diana actually just laughed at me this morning. I wish you'd stop doing that thing where you point out something about someone to distract away from something you don't wanna talk about. 
> 
> **Tim 🦆:**
> 
> I'll see you guys tomorrow. I've got my assistant in my ear. 
> 
> **Damian 🦇:**
> 
> Tell Lucas I said hi.

  
Tim smiled at Lucas and accepted the contract being handed to him. He signed his name in all the right places and handed it back. 

"Right. Aside from one board meeting you'll have to chair virtually, you are completely up to date." Lucas clicked his pen and slipped it into his top pocket. "We make a damn good team.".

Lucas shuffled away before stopping by the door. "I do get paid for the days you're away right?" He grinned cheekily and pushed his glasses up. 

"Yes Lucas. In Fact-" Tim pulled out his wallet and fished a hundred dollar bill out. "That's for giving up your new years. Buy a nice bottle of wine, or ask someone on a date. Your cooking is fantastic, share it with someone."

Lucas scoffed and took the note with a shaky thank you nod. "I'm not one for dating. Geek chic hasn't been a thing since Ugly Betty. I once stuttered for 30 seconds straight when I asked this girl out. She said no."

"Lucas Belleau! Don't be putting yourself down." Tim collected his things from his desk and shook his head. "It doesn't matter how nervous you get, there's always going to be someone who finds it endearing. And who finds your little bow ties and glasses the sexiest thing ever. But you won't know if you don't try. If you want to get laid or get a date, you gotta go out there and dip you toes in the water."

"Oh I'd love to. It's just not that easy, it's saying the right things and" 

Tim silenced Lucas with a finger. "If you be yourself. You'll be fine. Sounds corny as hell but it's true." 

"You're in a very good mood today Tim. You're all good advice and inspirational speaking. Not to be rude, but you can be really down sometimes. It worries me." Lucas nodded solemnly. 

"I've got everything to be happy about." Tim grinned uncontrollably. "If all goes well I'll be a married man in 2 days." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine Lucas as a mix between a young Jimmy Olsen and a typical nerdy type man. He's got a heart of gold, he can cook, he's part French, he's focused. And he wears cute bow ties and big glasses. Why wouldn't anyone want to date him?
> 
> Duke's titans group chat name as 'Bright Eyes' was something I came up with at like 1am but I was so pleased with it. 
> 
> Also that wedding venue is real and I thought it'd be perfect. It's lovely, you can look it up.


	87. Bird Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Bart does Bart things'

"Why did he not pack days ago?" Tim asked. He accepted his coffee from Mary and politely refused the cookies she offered.

"You tell me." She sighed. "He flip flops between super organised and a damn mess."

"We're not in a rush anyway." Damian struggled to find the words. "Let's just say we have the fastest private jet in the world. It'll take half the time than commercial, probably less."

"I'm actually glad you're taking him for a bit. He's all I have left by my god does he need to get out. He's always around the house moping like he's constantly waiting to go out but never does. He doesn't really have friends and it worries me that he isn't going out anymore." Mary scoffed at herself. "It's probably my fault. The way I blew up at him when he got in with that crowd."

"Children are an odd thing Mary. I wouldn't want to preach to you, but our family knows a lot of tragedy like this." Tim started. "He's doing just fine. He's grieving for them in his own way and that's okay. When my Dad died I moved away, wouldn't speak to many people, I was angry and violent. Terry is coping, and when you lose a big part of your life like that, that's the best you can do."

Mary smiled and sighed a long breath. "You two are fantastic, you know that? I attribute his healing to you two. Your family knows exactly what he's going through."

"Believe me Mary, it's your parenting. We all have very unhealthy ways of dealing with pain. We push Terry to talk to you and confront it." Damian nodded. 

"So that's why he'll come home some days and want to talk about Matt for hours." Mary nodded. "You two are damn good. Even if you can't ski and break yourself Damian, you do know how to help a girl out."

"Did he tell you what we're actually doing in San Francisco?" Tim asked.

"Something about a manufacturing center, he was so excited about it that I didn't quite catch it all, not even the second time." Mary laughed.

"We're taking him to look at our prototype factory. Anything new we make, get produced here first to be tested and inspected. We're not talking about phones either, it's non lethal weapons, cutting edge holographics and other cool stuff." Tim explained, his own excitability creeped up with each word. "He's the only person outside of my staff and higher up that gets to see this stuff, he might even get to test some himself."

"I look forward to him explaining how cool it was when he gets home. I won't understand much of it, but it's nice to see him excited." Mary smiled warmly. "And the sightseeing afterwards?"

"Well we know a bunch of great restaurants and boy can he eat a lot, so we'll visit a few of those. But we'll just let Terry go where he wants and we'll follow." Tim's eyes darted up to the ceiling just as a huge thud shook the house.

"Sorry!" Terry called down.

"I'm having some friends round for drinks while he's away. I see him die inside a little bit when he has to listen to us all gossip."

"I'm done." Terry huffed a breath and stood proud next to his suitcase. Tim scratched his neck which prompted Terry to pull his collar up a bit to hide his Robin undersuit.

"Right then. You'd best all be off to the airport." Mary stood and squeezed Terry into her shoulder. "You be good, remember your manners, thank yous and don't run off."

"I will mom. Promise." Terry blushed a little at Tim and Damian's stares of amusement.

"And you two." Mary snapped. Tim and Damian jumped and waited with wide eyes for their next words. "Don't be afraid to put him in line if he's being an ass. I want an honest answer when I ask you if he's behaved. Okay?"

"Absolutely. But I'm sure he'll be an angel." Damian poked Terry's head and received a not-at-all threatening glare.

Damian hauled up the suitcase before Terry broke his back and stepped back into the cold.

"Love you sweetie." She called from the door.

"Love you too mom." Terry waved and strapped his seat belt on.

* * *

"Damn I was baking in all those layers." Terry stepped into the cave while adjusting his shoulder pads. "Coat, tshirt, jumper and this insulation layer? Call me a hot pocket."

Tim snorted and pulled out his phone. His fingers typed nimbly and way too fast for Terry to see clearly.

"So are we taking the bat plane or is someone picking us up?" Terry asked excitedly. He popped his domino on and blinked to get used to it.

Tim and Damian shared a look. "You could say that-"

The cave lit up, a deafening crack made Terry fall to the floor. He held a batarang ready to fight whatever was blinding him.

"Put it away Terrance." Damian sighed. He helped the boy up and dusted him off. "This is a boom tube. It'll take us straight to the tower."

"Is it safe?" Terry edged his foot close to the portal and quickly withdrew it.

"Yes. Cyborg has been doing this for years." Damian insisted. Terry's discomfort was evident. Damian rubbed his shoulder and smiled. "Close your eyes and take one step after another. I won't let you go." Damian held the boys arm and shoulders and led them into the light. "And open."

Terry's eyes fluttered open slowly. He looked around and took in the sea air. The entire city was in his view: San Francisco. The bridge he was standing on held the island at a quarter mile length from the city. A tug on his shoulder made him turn.

The imposing T shined it the cold light like it was brand new. It was bigger than Terry had ever thought, even pictures did it no justice. The lights inside glowed and the mirrored window reflected the winter blue sky back around them. The entire tower was buzzing with life and youth. 

The sight never ceased to amaze Tim. Never. 

A stripe of steam erupted above them. A bright orange trail glowed against the snowy white sky.

"Kori must've been sunbathing somewhere hot." Tim remarked.

They walked into the empty entrance hall. They each put their hand on the scanner and looked into the retinal scanner. Damian took some maneuvering with his cast arm. Tim infomed Terry that all his batcave details were assigned here too.

The nerves bubbled over when the lift started to rise. Terry blew out a long breath and tapped his belt repeatedly.

Tim patted the boy's shoulder. "I wouldn't have put you in this situation if you couldn't handle it. You've got nothing to worry about. And whatever happens, don't bat an eyelid at what Bart does. Bart does Bart things."

"Which one is Bart?" Terry asked. "Oh right that's Impulse. Got it."

The doors slid open and the trio stepped into open space. A dozen faces looked back from the circular couch and smiled blindingly.

In a blur and whoosh of wind the small ginger man was wrapped around Tim, hugging him like a child. Terry couldn't help but smile. The red head zipped over to Damian and stood on the tips of his toes just so he could kiss Damian squarely on the lips.

Terry desperately wanted to say anything but he remembered that 'Bart does Bart things.'

"New kid!" Impulse cheered. He lifted up Terry's cape, inspected the fins of his gauntlets and pushed any loose strands of hair back into place. It was both a deeply comforting and awkward experience. Bart's big yellow eyes widened impossibly and crackled with electricity.

The rest of the Titans stood and waited for Terry to speak. He was grateful, and he had no doubt that Tim had given them instructions of how to approach him. He looked to Tim and Damian and nodded. With a confident hand, he plucked the mask from his face and roughed up the hair that Bart pushed back.

"I'm Terry. The new Robin." He stated confidently.

"Name's Jackson. Otherwise known as Aquaman." The tall, dark and handsome man offered his slightly webbed hand out. Terry took it and tried not to gush, he was in the presence of the Aquaman! Even living in salt water, his skin was that of a god. 

"Cassie. Wonder Girl." Terry tried not to stare at her hack job of a haircut. She self consciously brushed the fringe to the side and made way for the next Titan. 

"Jaime. Blue Beetle." The bearded man shook Terry's hand and scoffed as if someone unheard had said something funny. 

"Miguel. Bunker." The next man said. 

Terry nodded. "You're Jay's ex?" 

"Yep." Miguel looked between his feet and smiled. 

The giant woman crouched and examined Terry's face. "X'hal! You are right Damian. He does look like Tim did when he was younger." 

Terry flushed red and tried not to stare too long at the woman's exposed flesh. He felt his teenage biology betraying him. He was in the presence of his first childhood crush. Her eyes were the purest green. Damian's were a muddle of emerald and the lazarus waters he was born in, but Starfire's were definitively green. Pure and infinite. 

"I'm Koriand'r or Kori for short. Starfire to the world." She shook his hand gently. 

She was hot, in the sense of temperature that is. Terry was instantly heated up. "Nice to meet you." He charmed, he was sure it came out all giggly and not as smooth as he hoped. 

Rose, Kiran, Kara, Mia and Raven all greeted Terry politely but didn't linger. 

"My name's M'gann. I'm Ms Martian. Please call me Megan though. It's so nice to have a new member of the team! It's been years." Terry tanked the blows of bubbliness and joy and greeted her back the best he could. He was starting to get overwhelmed. 

"I'm Wallace. Kid Flash, although that name is wearing really thin considering I'm 24." The man chuckled and clapped Terry on the back. "You'll be fine, don't let Bart run away with you though."

"I'm sure you already know who I am." The green man flashed a grin that showed off his fangs; Terry had seen it on all the movie posters and on all the red carpets. 

"I do. Loved you in the Wendy the Werewolf Stalker reboot." Terry smiled back. His obligation to smile was beginning to hurt his cheeks. 

Impulse leaned against the couch and vibrated. In an instant he was back in front of Terry again. "I thought I'd leave the best till last and y'know... Be last. I'm never last though, always first! Unless I'm racing Wally, then I don't win because he's the fastest man alive. What a drag right? He's always saying that. Anyway I'm Bart. Technically Bartholomew Henry Allen II. But everyone knows Impulse is Bart Allen, so I also go by Bart Garrick. But that one gets a few double takes from old guys so now I go by Bart Mercury. Like Freddy, and I can really sing." Bart whizzed over to the coffee table and picked up the TV remote. "Mamaaaaaaa. Oooo oooooo." 

He zipped back over to Terry and held the remote like a microphone to his mouth. Terry simply stared at it with wide eyes, he was still comprehending what he witnessed 10 seconds prior. 

"Damn you ruined it. You were meant to carry on the song. That's fine we can work on that. We're gonna have so much fun, I might go make us some friendship bracelets. You like bracelets?" He was gone in a gust of wind, then back sliding a braided piece of pink rope around Terry's gauntlet. "You like it? I also made a few spares in case you didn't like that one." Bart held out a dozen other colours. 

Terry looked from the bracelet to Bart and Bart to Tim. Tim just shrugged and smirked. 

"Uh Hi?" Was the most Terry could offer. 

"Hi." Bart replied. His big eyes were becoming almost scary. 

"Bart can you let him settle in a little bit first please." Tim asked. "He's not ready for the full Impulse treatment yet, give him a while." 

"Okay." Bart moaned. He sped away and started playing ping pong with himself across the other side of the tower. 

Tim strolled up and swung his arm over Terry's shoulder. "It's a little different to what you imagined right?" 

Terry chuckled. "Definitely."

"Come on. I've gotta get Damian out of that suit, with his arm and ribs it's a nightmare to squeeze into without hurting him." Tim shot Damian a look and led Terry through the upper floors. 

He pointed Terry to the training room, the mud room, the gym, the pool and the network center. Terry's enthusiasm could only be compared to a blind person seeing for the first time. He was excitable, awestruck and just plain happy. Tim saw the wonder in his eyes and couldn't help but think of the first time he saw Titans Tower. 

Dick's New York tower was great, Tim had seen the pictures and plans. But his tower, the brand new home built specifically for his generation of Teen Titans was a sight to behold. It was taller, wider, and had everything a teenage hero could ever need. Everything about the place was built for them, Kori's Tamaranean flowers, Victor's meticulous layout which allowed everyone privacy, space to train and space to come together, and most importantly the statues of the 5 founders. Even though Young Justice came to the Titans after a tragedy, it was good to be around friends again. 

Tim would never get tired of the sight and the feeling he got everytime he stepped inside. The founding members were long gone now, the second generation were on and off, with Starfire and Beast Boy being part time and Cyborg running missions with the Justice League. 

Damian never carved out a legacy with the Teen Titans, he teamed up with Jon, Emiko and Wallace numerous times in his youth. Now he runs the unorthodox team up of Cassie, himself and Jon. 

Until a new generation rises, Tim's Titans and the newer additions are the longest lasting team behind the Justice League. He felt protective over his tower, his team and his legacy. 

"Dude this is not what I think it is?" Terry looked around the soundproofed room in awe. 

"Yep. A full recording studio. Every instrument you could ask for and the means to produce actual songs." Tim informed the boy. 

"But why?" 

"Kiran likes to sing. And I had money to spare. Not to mention Bart can play every single instrument there is and we needed a place for him to do his thing all hours of the night." Tim shrugged. 

"Do you plan on recording some covers for your YouTube channel while you're here?" Damian asked. 

Terry went stiff and flushed bright red. He didn't dare look up from the ground. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"It came up the first time I met you." Damian chuckled and turned Terry around. "You can't escape the Batcomputers algorithms. Besides, you're really good and 10 thousand subscribers is a great achievement." 

"I'm so embarrassed right now. Please show me to my room so I can cry in the shower." Terry whined. 

"Don't be embarrassed." Tim pushed the boy's head towards the bedrooms. "You really are good at what you do. And everyone needs a hobby. Damian makes costumes and dances. Bruce started knitting after Alfred passed because it was one of Alfred's favourite pastimes. Cassie bakes. Don't ever hide your skills away."

"I'm still cringing. My back feels like a twizzler right now." Terry stood at the door, with 'Robin' printed on a silver plate. He pushed the door open and set his suitcase against the wardrobe. His room overlooked the most colourful garden he'd ever seen. It seemed to glow underneath the snow. "This is huge. All mine."

"Advanced computer. International TV with all streaming subscriptions. En suite. Independent heating. Everything you get at the Manor just modern looking." Tim noticed Damian's wide grin and his own face mimicked it. "We'll leave you to get settled in. Feel free to explore, me and Dami have gotta head into town for a hour or so."

* * *

Tim's entire body was still inhabited with the strangest buzz. It was like his emotions were inflated and were trying to burst out whatever way they could. Was it nerves? Was it excitement? He couldn't decide. 

Truth be told, Tim was shitting himself.

Their wedding was booked for the next day, 1pm. It was actually happening, it was set in stone.

"Damian how do you feel?" Tim asked as they began to walk through the secret underground passageway to the tower. Away from public eyes.

"I don't know Timothy." Damian intertwined their fingers and swung their arms. "I know it's the right choice. I know I look forward to it. But I'm so scared. Do you think we made the right choice allowing it to be on the public register?"

Tim pondered for a moment and thought over this decision for the hundredth time. They could have masked their wedding as a private one. The details of their marriage licence application would only be available to them.

"We know the press will have heard about it by the time we get back. I think we should face it Dami. The longer we keep this a secret, the more scandalous it seems. I'm proud that I'm marrying you. We'll do an exclusive for the Gotham Gazette." Tim affirmed.

"I'm surprised no one has caught onto us yet. It's been years and most people think we are a thing, but we've never been asked outright." Damian chuckled. "Do you think they think we'll sue them if they try to run an exposed piece? They surely wouldn't want to risk it."

"As long as we end up making Vicki Vale look like a dick. We're good." Tim opened the security door to the tunnel and led the pair up the stairs. "She's gonna try and frame this like it's shameful, we need to show her not only do we not care, but we've never hidden it in the first place."

"Oh Tim. That's what we do best. We act every day of our lives. This'll be easy." Damian leaned over and kissed Tim's cheek. "I love you so much you pubescent, angsty, know-it-all 15 year old."

Tim recalled those words being spoken so long ago. Years and years. "I love you too, you chubby cheeked ball of anger."

"That was a little weird talking about our younger selves but we're getting married so I'm sure it's fine." Damian giggled uncontrollably until his ribs hurt again.

"You're still a ball of anger and I'm still an angsty know it all. Ying yang. Batman and Robin, Superman and external underwear. It works." Tim stepped into the living area and looked around. No Terry in sight. His phone pinged and he brought up the text. Conner had sent him a picture of his latest haircut. He showed it to Damian for inspection, seeing as Damian designated himself as the barber expert. "He looks like a completely different guy, doesn't he?"

Damian agreed. The way Conner had his hair French cropped forward and neatly with a tight skin fade on the sides was wildly different to his usually undercut or short style. It tricked the eyes, and made his bone structure seem completely different. 

* * *

Terry finished isolating the drums on the audio file and played it through to be sure. He had been sneakily using his bat business phone to do this, but now he had a computer in his room to do it for him.

He wasn't quite over Tim and Damian knowing his secret. He had never told a soul. His channel was an alias, the email address it was linked to never mentioned his name. He was even sure to only film himself in spots that were blank walls and never show his face. The fear of being found out had nagged at him since he was younger. For some stupid, insignificant reason, he felt like singing and being heard was shameful.

He could be proudly pansexual. Even if most people didn't know, he still wasn't ashamed. He could step outside the house dressed like a goth/punk hybrid and tank the looks he got from the other students because he was different. 

But he couldn't ever admit he could sing. 

Nonetheless, the studio beckoned. 

He skipped across the tower excitedly and shut the studio door behind him. He loaded the audio file into the computer and started to tune the guitar. It cost at least 3 times what all of Terry's did put together, he felt giddy just holding it. 

Warren was a huge metal head in his youth, and some things really aren't phases. Despite what devout Catholic mothers say. Terry had been playing the guitar since he could hold one. Warren taught him all the 'classics' even if Terry's 5-6 year old mind didn't have a clue what the lyrics meant. 

"Yeah today is definitely a Beastie Boys day. Sorry dad but Metallica and that can wait." Terry chuckled and positioned the mic in front of himself. 

He leaned forward, pressed record on his phone, started the drum track and began to play. 

* * *

"Where's Terry?" Tim asked Jackson. "I checked his room and the gardens, nothing."

Jackson pointed down the hall. "He's in the studio. He started to sniff around the room about half an hour after you left."

Tim and Damian looked at eachother and had a mental conversation, completely unaided by M'gann. 

"We shouldn't." Tim started.

"Shouldn't what?" The Atlantean asked. He eyed the couple suspiciously

"Yeah shouldn't what?" Bart asked after appearing next to them.

"Keep your mouth shut Allen, we're going to watch Terry in the living room." Damian led the way and flicked through the camera feeds until he landed on the studio. Miguel, Jaime, Wallace, Rose and Mia also gathered on the sofa.

The long drawn out guitar note took the unsuspecting Titans by surprise.

Terry grinned to himself. He licked his lips slightly. "Kick It!" He sang, with an uncharacteristically boysterous tone lacing his voice.

Shocks of disbelief echoed around the room when Terry began to play. It wasn't everyday a 14 year old plays a guitar at that level.

"You wake up late for school, man you don't wanna go!" Terry couldn't help but grin to himself. It was still blinding through the camera. "You ask your mom: please? But she still says no."

"No fucking way that voice comes out of that child." Mia leaned forward and gawked.

"I thought Jay was good. Man..." Miguel nodded.

"You gotta fight. For your right. To part-aaay!" Terry let a small giggle escape, but never missed a beat.

"This kids a rock star and you were just a painter Damian?" Rose remarked.

"I play the violin!" Damian defended. He realised how sad it sounded the second the words left his throat. Snickers of laughter made their rounds around the group.

Terry seemed to enjoy his own performance more and more. His words particularly landed when singing about clothes and hair. Damian had seen the photo of Terry at 13 with blue hair.

The Titans finished watching but didn't make an effort to disperse because they were too busy arguing about which Robin is the most boring.

Terry wandered in and tutted at the group. "You gave me a batcomputer for a phone and expected me not to use the app where it specifically shows me when I'm being watched by cctv?"

"But you still sang." Damian grinned triumphantly. 

"Yeah." He kicked the ground. 

"You're so awesome!" Jaime cheered. "Got any more?" 

Terry fought with himself, but decided to brave it. He pulled up his channel and let the Titans flick through his videos. He was getting quite overwhelmed by the support from strangers. They particularly enjoyed his renditions of Black Dog by Led Zeppelin and Buddy Holly by Wheezer. 

They all went back to their lives and Terry sat in the living area editing his latest video to upload. Tim sat and helped.

"Why don't you use your name? Or keep your face in the videos? I promise you Terry, it's not embarrassing." He reassured me. 

"Once I do it there's no going back. My name is there. It's totally embarrassing. I'm this world you can either win the Voice or people make out like you have the voice of a mutilated cat." Terry grimaced. 

"Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Just remember, you've got our subscription. Hey, would you play at mine and Dami's wedding?" Tim asked bravely. He knew it was a stretch. 

"Fuck it. Why not? I'll do it." Terry forced the words out. "And..." He typed away and started to edit the details on the website. His channel's new name appeared on screen: Terry McGinnis Music.

"I'm proud of you." Tim hugged the boy. 

"You haven't done me wrong yet Tim. If you believe in me then that's enough." Terry uploaded his video. Face and all. 

* * *

Terry held his steaming cup of coffee close and strolled through the corridors. He was dressed down into a vest and shorts ready for the morning's training. 

He had already seen Rose off, she was dressed in full Ravager costume to run a lap of the city. Apparently she did this every morning so Terry wasn't going to judge, although he assumed she'd be exhausted. 

Terry thought he was alone. But the gym was inhabited by a very muscular, very clean cut boy. Perhaps the best looking boy Terry had ever laid eyes on.

Terry reasoned that he couldn't be older than 16. Despite his bulging muscles, he was still small framed. The light scruff of hair on his chin told Terry he was still halfway through puberty. Terry thought he must've been a fairly new Titan, he'd never seen pictures of a guy that looked like this boy. With such perfect hair and blue eyes. 

He was doing chin ups and press ups like he weighed nothing at all. Terry chewed his lip and eyed the boy. He pulled his shorts up and flexed a little to make sure he looked good before speaking up 

"I maxed out at 79 before my arms crapped out. You're not even breaking a sweat." Terry charmed.

The boy smiled and got up from the floor. "You're the new kid."

"In the flesh." Terry winked and jumped up to the pullup bar. "You gonna watch or train with me, muscles?"

Their training soon turned into a contest. One Terry definitely lost to the cute boy. But he wasn't disappointed, their banter carried away the morning. When the boy offered to help spot him when he did his squats, Terry was more than happy to let him, he even shuffled in closer to break the contact barrier occasionally.

The boy was either incredibly nice, liked the flirting, or was completely oblivious to Terry's interest.

After training the boy made an incredible breakfast for the two of them. No one else in the tower was up yet because it was still only 6am.

"This is amazing. Where'd you learn to cook?" Terry asked.

"My Ma taught me. All sorts of home recipes." The boy shrugged. He looked over at Terry sitting beside him and smiled.

Terry gulped and summoned up all the courage and magic being Robin gave him. He never did this before, but he felt good about his chances. "You seem great y'know. I know we've known each other-" Terry checked his phone. "One hour and 32 minutes. But maybe we could go on a lunch date? You're ridiculously hot and life's short. Even if you don't like boys then we could just forget the date and have a totally 5 feet apart friend date?"

"Dude, I'm flattered." The boy started.

"Aww fuck. Mom always told me not to watch out for the straight boys that'll break my heart." Terry let his head flop into his hands

"You never asked my name." The boy said. "I should explain, it's not you. It's me. My name is Kon El. Conner Kent. Superboy."

Terry looked up and flushed bright red. "Oh my god. You're Kon? I'm so sorry, you just looked my age and I thought I'd have a shot. Oh fuck!" Terry steadied his breathing and bolted up to get a glass of water.

"If it helps I had no clue you were flirting. I was trying to be nice. Man it's fine, don't panic. At least you didn't make an actual move, then we'd be in a different situation." Conner sighed. "I'm really truly flattered. And this isn't the first time this has happened. I don't age. I still look 16. Tim did say I look completely different with this hair."

"You think!" Terry shouted. "Sorry didn't mean to shout. I've seen hundreds of pictures of you. I should've known. I've just hit on my mentor's best friend. Holy fuck."

"It's fine." Superboy laughed.

"Can we start again?" Terry asked.

"Sure."

Terry gulped more water and wiped his mouth. "Hi I'm Terry McGinnis. The new Robin."

"Superboy. Conner Kent. Do you like my haircut, people tell me I look like a different guy." Kon laughed and shook Terry's hand.

"You realise I have to tell Tim this happened." Terry said. He returned to his seat and cut a bite of his food.

"Yep. He's going to laugh so much."

* * *

Damian wiped a tear away and held his ribs. He was in agony but today was the best day of his life for 2 reasons.

"One more time for me." Tim demanded. 

"I flirted shamelessly. Flexed a bit. Showed off my ass. Was extremely tactile. Asked him on a date. Had a panic attack." Terry groaned. "Damian would you stop fucking laughing?" 

"Jeez. You claim you get nervous easily and are shy then you try and get in the first hot boy's pants that you like the look of?" Tim pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

"I was not trying to get in his pants!" Terry glowed red like a tomato. "I was just showing him what he could get if he commited long term. Like a mating dance for superheroes."

Damian snorted and doubled over in pain. 

"You Mister aren't mating with anyone. You're 14." Tim warned. "Some people would take advantage of you if you did that. I swear to go if I hear you taking about sex again before you're 16 then I'll make your life hell."

"How could you possibly do that? You were fumbling around with Steph at my age." Terry rolled his eyes. 

"I was stupid and there was no mating. And I'll tell your mom. She'd tear you to pieces." Tim delighted in the way Terry's face dropped. 

"As funny and harmless as the situation is, Timothy is right." Damian interjected. "We certainly don't want to give you the embarrassing talk. When it's closer the time then you can ask us any questions you might have-"

"Eww stop. Had the talk from mom and dad. I have the Internet for the gay stuff they can't tell me. It's so weird, please don't. My day has been weird enough." Terry cringed. 

"Alright fine." Tim stopped the direction the conversation was heading to. "We have something to do today, and we need a witness."

Terry drew a blank and shrugged at what the thing was. 

"We're getting married today. In a few hours. And we want you to be our witness." Damian held up the velvet bag their wedding bands were in and shook it. 

"You're kidding right. That's great! I didn't bring a suit or anything though." Terry hopped up and started to rummage Tim's side of their wardrobe for smart clothes that would fit. 

"No suits or thawbs in Damian's case. No fancy vows. We actually plan to skip most of the ceremony, say I do, sign the thing then get out of there. The real wedding is still in June." Tim put his trousers and shirts back in the wardrobe. 

"You two are mad. Is Drake Manor even finished?" 

"March. They're building the pool right now and making a new studio in the attic. So we can have people stay. The basement is being done by us. We need to reopen Timothy's old cave entrance and maybe make the basement a gym." Damian recalled his mental schedule for the building work. He was insistent that Tim was not to worry about a thing.

"You two get married in 2 hours and you're acting like it's a coffee date." Terry shook his head. "We should probably cover up the dicks on your cast Damian."

* * *

Tim hoisted Damian into his arms and walked happily through the tunnel. He couldn't believe it, he was married!

They had indeed rushed the ceremony and signed the papers quickly. In and out of city hall within 10 minutes. 

Damian desperately wanted to be the one to carry Tim across the threshold of every building they called home. But with his arm busted, he wasn't capable of holding Tim. A deal was brokered that Tim would do it for this wedding, Damian could do it the next. 

Terry burst into tears the very second 'I do' was uttered. He sobbed through the kiss and while they made it legal. He was an emotional wreck, he dreaded the real vows and the heartfelt speeches. He was sure to severely dehydrated come June. 

But that didn't stop him from stealing Bart's number from Tim's phone and texting him to tell everyone. 

The couple were in for a surprise. 

They stepped out of the elevator and were blindsided by confetti and cheers. 

Tim set Damian right on his feet and went about hugging everyone. 

Jon and Conner were fussing around a table. They both parted and screamed in surprise. A plain Victoria sponge cake sat perfectly dusted with icing sugar on the platter. 

"We had to use heat vision to warm the oven. Ma made sure you had a cake, wouldn't let me leave without taking you one so Kon came over to help." Jon hugged Damian into the air and let a tear drop from his eye. "I'm so happy for you Dami."

"Don't start crying Corncob. You're as bad as Terry." Damian sniffed. 

Jon looked over Damian's shoulder at the young Robin. "So you wanted to take Kon out on a date?" Jon nodded. "He's a pig over dinner anyway. Ma's always telling him to watch his manners. Jon Kent, Kon's little brother." 

Terry took the kryptonian's hand and smiled the best he could through the embarrassment. 

"Champagne everyone." Bart zoomed around the room and placed a glass in everyone's hand. 

He stopped at Terry and looked from the boy to Damian and back again. "One glass. Because it's a celebration." Damian sighed. 

"To Tim." Everyone raised their glasses. "And Damian- Wait what names did you choose?" Cassie asked. 

"Drake. We're Mr and Mr Drake." Damian kissed Tim's cheek. 

"Tim and Damian Drake!" Everyone cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about what unique talent Terry should pursue. Each Robin kind of has their own deal and I wanted him to have a little pass time.
> 
> Then I thought about today's culture. How terry would've grown up through the YouTuber then tiktok phases. Finally I thought of the actual Batman beyond theme song, and how it's futuristic and electric but with that slightly musical rock beat.
> 
> I came up with 'Terry is a musician'
> 
> So the marriage had happened, and soon we have the aftermath. I wonder what might happen?


	88. Wedding Night - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy valentines day!

The celebrations wound down and all the Titans left Damian and Tim to the obvious last act needed to seal their marriage.

Tim stripped off and laid himself down on the bed. There was no grace in it, but he couldn't care what he looked like. 

Damian's eyes skittered over every inch of exposed skin and little black hairs. Tim wasn't subtle about how he positioned himself, he bared all and parted his legs as an invitation. 

Damian glided around the room and lit the little candles that were scattered along the shelf and desk. Damian peeled the clothes away and prowled over to the bed and stood over Tim, who's blush was as inconcealable as ever.

"I love you Tim Drake." Damian whispered. His voice was delicate, he had always meant it when he said it, but now Tim heard it differently. He was hearing a new Damian for the first time. 

"I love you too Damian Drake." Tim tugged him down and stole the shortest kiss. Innocent and barely there. But enough for Damian to know he was loved. Enough for Damian to know there was no obligation to go any further than a cuddle tonight. 

The dark neediness overcoming Damian's face revealed his intention clearly. The sweet glow of love still shined through. 

Damian slid onto the bed beside Tim and looked deep into his husband's ice cold eyes. He always had a knack for thawing them out. 

Tim walked his fingers up Damian's arm and traced lines over his scalp. The thick strands separated effortlessly over Tim's slim fingers.

 _It's like silk._ Tim thought. The same thought he had every other time he touched the darkness on his lover's head.

The space between them shrunk, inch by inch. Slowly, there wasn't a rush. Damian's tense guard dissolved at Tim's grounding touch. The rhythmic tracing of his scalp wore him down and tamed the snarling defensiveness that was ever present.

Tim could see it. The tension in his shoulders slipped off. Damian's eyes became half lidded and slack. His face relaxed; gone was the scowl. It was replaced by a cheeky false innocence. Tim could see Damian clear as day. He loved it.

Their lips might've touched the moment their noses passed. But Tim couldn't be sure if the tingle was the tiny but coarse hairs sprouting from Damian's upper lip, the hot air from their increasingly shaper breaths or just the anticipation of their meeting. 

Did it matter?

The second their lips met, Tim closed his hand firmly round the back of Damian's head. It was a natural feeling, unlike their first ever kisses, Tim didn't need to think about whether Damian was enjoying it. Or whether he was doing it right. It was simply a reflex now. The moulding of their lips, tender and gentle. A small press and barely any pressure. 

The crackle, the tingle, the zip down Tim's spine had never faded. 5 years and it was still sharp and electric. It made him buzz and stirred arousal in the depths of his soul. 

Tim braved a tiny amount more pressure. It was a sure move. His mouth parted and his tongue dared to edge forth, just barely trailing along Damian's lip. 

_Cherry lip gloss!_ Tim's internal voice exclaimed. _My favourite._

Damian's hand gripped down onto Tim's thigh and massaged at the same time as he invited Tim into his mouth. 

Tim couldn't keep his touches innocent anymore, the taste of Damian flipped a switch. From it's position in Damian's silky locks, Tim's hand dropped, skipping over his shoulder and settling at the crease of his hip. As quickly as it fell, the hand crawled up, feeling his way over the plump skin and firm muscle beneath. Damian shivered at the contact, Tim's hands were cold and his body was radiating heat. 

Damian's hand curled over Tim's rear and pulled him close, marrying their bodies like their souls had been earlier today.

He couldn't drink in enough of Damian. The smell of his aftershave that was sweet and musky but still fresh and never too heavy. The barely there scratch of Damian's stubble that just started to grow in. The way Damian's hand rested on his hip, like a weight to hold him in the moment. It would never be enough. 

Tim needed a bottomless glass of Damian to be served daily, perhaps twice. Swirling green like the waters he was born from. Stirred with a sword and decorated with little gold flecks. It would sparkle like Damian's eyes. It would give you a kick if you weren't prepared and would be the sweetest treat if you appreciated it. The recipe was flawed, but the result was beautiful. 

Tim had it all to himself, forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my smut was going to be one chapter, but I wrote this first part and thought it was so good that it should stand apart from the smut.
> 
> So all the sex is in the next chapter and this beautiful peice of writing gets its own spotlight.
> 
> It might be one of my favourite bits I've written for this fic. And I timed it to valentines day perfectly.


	89. Wedding Night - Part 2 (Smut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy valentines day!

Tim had it all to himself, forever.

He dropped his hand down and let it settle around Damian's filling length. Tim teased him up, giggling when Damian sighed a single breath of pleasure.

"This feels so weird doesn't it?" Tim mumbled. He leaned in and nuzzled his husband's neck and planted the smallest of kisses by his jaw. 

"It feels like the first time again." Damian's fingers squeezed the round of Tim's rear and creeped deeper into the crease. "Like I'm getting to love you all over again."

He reached with his hand over to the table and retrieved his little bottle. Damian teased a slick digit over Tim's opening and pressed forward. 

Tim exhaled harshly into Damian's neck and sucked a spot until he knew it would be black in the morning. He had already made Damian his earlier in the day, this was just for his own benefit.

Tim was too eager to take things this slow. He swung his leg over Damian's and dragged his nails down the man's front. Damian's hand was very much still in place, Tim wanted to feel fuller. He wanted to be connected in every way possible.

The bottle was teased out of Damian's hand and emptied into Tim's. 

The cold made Damian shiver as Tim twisted his hand and coated his length with it. 

Tim shuffled up and sat back down onto Damian. The way he tugged apart Tim's opening and burrowed deep had Tim's heart throbbed with adoration. He let out a long groan. Satisfaction, pleasure and fulfillment. 

"Marriage is consummated. We can stop now." Tim stuttered through the burning sensation. He smirked and ran his hands over Damian's chest. He found his grip on the headboard to steady himself. 

"Only you could make a joke now." Damian chuckled and massaged Tim's thighs. He made sure to remember how each hair felt as it glided past his thumbs. 

Tim's lips found Damian's and locked. It was like a magnet drawing them together. He slipped his tongue forth and revelled in the taste of cherry and champagne. 

"Tim!" Damian had to break away and gasp. Tim rocked his hips harder and teased out the flush that was waiting for too long to appear on Damian's neck and cheeks. 

The air was intense. It was a massive contradiction just to breathe it. The situation was so tense and serious. But it was also playful and laid back. The very atmosphere around them swirled with their emotions. Tim couldn't tell whether he wanted to laugh uncontrollably or make this into a steamy movie scene with all it's severe attitude.

"This. Is. The. Happiest. Day. Of. My. Life." Tim gasped between each rock of his hips. 

Damian held either side of his face and touched their foreheads together. The scratch of the cast was just another sensation to add to Tim's overload. 

"Me too. Tim." Damian mumbled. He nipped his teeth on Tim's trembling bottom lip. 

Tim stiffened and fell forward onto his lover, his grip on the headboard was lost. Damian didn't care that it set his ribs ablaze. Tim's toes curled and a cold flush tore through him replaced with a white hot inferno as he climaxed. He painted Damian's torso white and shrieked into his shoulder. The world blacked away leaving him alone with his love. 

Damian held the back of Tim's head and bounced his hips. Tim was shuddering and whining into him. He felt it cruel to chase his own release. Normally he would brutally over stimulate Tim until he cried or was screaming his pleasure to anyone who was in earshot. But he'd never seen Tim so vulnerable and rocked before. It sent him to the brink. 

"Guhh Tim." He groaned. Damian held Tim tighter, his nails dug deep into Tim's pale flesh until he was sure Tim would bleed.

Tim felt Damian spasm and tighten inside him. The warmth spread fast and coursed through him. 

They laid in complete silence, not even a breath was heard. Only when Tim moved was Damian's cue to come back down to earth. 

Tim's hand scrambled to find Damian's. There was a dull clink of their rings clashing, it might as well have been a thunderbolt cracking the sky. 

Tim heard his deep laugh before he registered it had actually come out of his mouth. Damian's body felt compelled by its own volition to join in. 

"That was amazing. You're amazing. My fucking life is amazing." Tim giggled. 

"Our life now Timothy. Till the day we die, I get to live it with you."


	90. How To Train Your Robin - Titans

"There they are!" Conner cheered and wolf whistled.

Damian touched his neck and found the dark marks Tim had left. Tim pulled his sleeves down to hide the nails marks and bruising. 

"The cast didn't get in the way?" Jaime scoffed.

"No it did not. No unusual contraptions or positions." Damian clarified. He smirked at Tim who was reddening with each word. Sometimes he wished Damian reverted to speaking like a robot and getting insulted at the mere mention of something private. Now he was embarrassingly comfortable with sex and speaking candidly about it. 

"Last long?" Kon pressed. 

Both Damian and Tim flushed this time. "No." Tim admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. 

"How does it feel to be married? Want a baby yet?" Mia joked.

"Nah we've got Terry." Tim quipped.

He stiffened and ducked his head far into the fridge to escape the looks that were surely pointed his way. He cursed his eternally stupid mental filter and assumed a calm expression.

"He's handful enough. Y'know?" Tim corrected his statement. "He's always about and he needs us to train him. It wouldn't be fair to divide our attention with a kid anyway. Right Dami?"

Damian smiled sweetly and touched Tim's cheek. "Of course. Priorities Timothy. We can't be vigilantes and have a child at home." He leaned forward and kissed Tim's cheek. "Although if men could get pregnant, I'm sure you'd be ripe with child after last night." He whispered. 

The hairs on Tim's arms stood to attention immediately. He opened the cupboard to his redness; he hadn't blushed this much since 2020.

"Nah you lot like taking them out into the field." Conner jibed. All the Titans laughed and nodded. Tim and Damian had no defense.

"If Terry was here he'd be having a go at you all. He takes Robin very seriously. Gets very defensive if anyone insinuates that we pushed him into this, it was all him." Damian pointed between them all.

"I'd go out there with or without you all. You can't stop me." Tim finished Terry's usual argument. "Where is he anyway?" 

* * *

Terry adjusted the shorts he found in Tim's room and padded out into the heat. They were black with little birds covering them. Terry guessed there would be no need to be subtle in this tower. He dipped his toes into the water and giggled.

"Of course the pool is warm. No expense spared." He sighed. 

He dunked himself under and twirled in the crystal waters. He rarely got a chance to swim anymore. The public pools were less than clean to say the very least. When Terry ventured into the school pool after his lessons had finished he got stared down by the likes of Nelson Nash and the other athletes. He never went again, Terry always thought they were talking about him and staring. It was one less problem he wanted to voluntarily put himself in the way of. 

'It's an important life skill.' Warren told him. Terry remembered the day fondly. He was only 5 or 6 and Warren took him down to the dingy public pools, strapped some armbands on him then pushed him in. 

Every weekend he'd swim, until the armbands came off then the floats were taken away. By age 8 it was second nature, and judging by the amount of times the bat family were dunked in the harbour, the skills were likely to come in handy. 

He swam breaststroke to the deep end, then panicked. Two figures were sitting at the bottom of the pool. The water stung his eyes just too much that Terry couldn't see clearly who it was. 

Terry pushed above the water and heaved himself out to sit on the side. He was careful to pull his short leg and let out the trapped water, he'd had too many accidents in middle school where the water created an unfortunate suction. 

Two heads poked out the water and floated over to the edge where Terry was perched. One blond and one with long flowing black hair. 

"Sorry if I interrupted." Terry squeaked. He now knew he had interrupted Aquaman while he was with whoever. 

"Nonsense." Jackson smiled and wrapped his arm around the other man. "This is my boyfriend Wyynde. We come in here in the mornings to relax. We are more comfortable in the water after all." Jackson chuckled.

"Terry McGinnis. New Robin." Terry shook the man's hand. "Doesn't the chlorine affect you two?"

"Our bodies are highly adapted to only take oxygen from the water." Wyynde clarified. "Although it has taken me years to properly acclimate to land. We are prone to dehydration."

"I don't wanna intrude. I'll leave you two to your morning." Terry pulled his foot out of the water and looked to the locker rooms. 

"No Robin." Jackson laughed. He grabbed Terry's ankle and yanked him into the water. 

Terry bobbed to the surface and wiped water from his face. "Dude!" 

"We saw you swimming. You're better than most." Wyynde remarked. "Come swim with us."

The Atlanteans bolted off under water. 

Terry chewed his lip and smirked. He really couldn't believe he had a chance to swim with Atlanteans.

He ducked under the surface and looked for the pair. They swirled around him and grinned. Jackson put his fists up and waved towards himself. 'Fight me.' The action said. 

Terry darted forward and swung for the pressure point in Aquaman's leg. His fists were sluggish and dragging with the weight of the water. 

Jackson dodged and poked Terry's ear. 

Terry felt Wyynde swim behind him. He grabbed the man's hand just as it went to poke him in a similar fashion and wrenched it as hard as he could. Wynnde's face glanced off Terry's elbow. 

Terry made an apologetic face. Wyynde smiled in response, most of the bite had been taken by the water's resistance. 

His lungs ached. He needed air, he needed it fast. Terry made a break for the surface and heaved himself up onto the diving board. 

He hoped he timed it right. He ran and sprung off the board, using all his training to propel himself further. 

Jackson leaped from the water, rising well above the surface just as Terry predicted. His eyes went wide as Terry's fist neared his face. 

"Outta the water Motherfuck- ahhhh!" His fist connected with Aquaman's face. He had horrifically underestimated how hard and strong Atlantean's bodies were. His hand throbbed and burned and in the grip of pain, he forgot to take a breath. 

He flopped to the water with all the grace of an overweight walrus. The water rushed into his lungs. He fought for the surface and coughed up the chlorinated liquid that stung and clawed at his airway.

"Terry are you okay?" Jackson asked. He was immediately by Terry's side, rubbing his back. 

Terry's laugh echoed from the walls. "That was awesome!" He stuttered between giggles. 

"Didn't brush up on the fact that our skin is designed to handle extreme pressure and thus is extremely hard and durable?" Wyynde asked. 

"Nah. Atlantean's are after Amazon's, Lanterns, Kryptonians, Speedsters and multiversal crises." Terry remarked. He realised he couldn't really shrug properly underwater.

"You are much more fun than we expected. Tim told us you were a laugh, but between hitting on Superboy, the music and this... You'll fit right in." Jackson nudged Terry. 

"I already feel right at home."

* * *

"There you are." Tim leaned on the doorframe to the pool changing rooms and smirked at Terry blow drying his hair. "How are you this morning mister?" 

"I feel great. Aquaman and his boyfriend are the coolest. We swam, relaxed, and talked. They're so chilled out." Terry combed his hair perfectly into place, then ruined it with his hand until it was truly 'Terry'. 

"Oh Wyynde is here? He's gorgeous isn't he?" Tim smiled and remembered when Jackson first brought him to the tower. Miguel even texted Jason saying he'd found his free pass if they ever had one. 

Terry snorted. "He is. But I can say that, you're a married man now." 

"You've clearly never heard Damian tease me. He once offered it to Kon too." Tim raised his eyebrows accusingly. 

"I'm never gonna live that one down." Terry walked past Tim and bounced down the corridor to his room. His mood wasn't downed at all. He seemed to roll with the punches and brush it off. 

"Why didn't you say you were gay before?" Tim tried the question, knowing it wasn't a source of shame for Terry. 

"I'm not. I'm pansexual." Terry clarified. He found his trusty fluffy socks and pulled them on. "Gender doesn't mean shit to me. I didn't say anything because I'm not massive on telling people. I don't want to make a big coming out situation. I did with mom and dad and it terrified me. I just slipped it into conversation with Jason and you should already know because I rambled about Kasem."

"You're right. I'm sorry if I assumed." Tim rested his hand on Terry's shoulder. "We really did mean it when we said you could ask us anything. We know what it's like to have straight parents and as traumatic as it can be, I'd rather you didn't learn things through the Internet."

"Tiiiim." The boy whined. "It's 11am. I can't cringe until 3 in the afternoon." 

Tim sighed and steeled himself. He kept telling himself to be the strong positive role model. Sometimes tougher conversations had to be had, whether people wanted to hear it or not. His own father sadly never taught him anything worth remembering into adulthood, and everything he learned from Bruce was taught in a loving, but very specific way that wouldn't work for everyone. 

"No Terry I mean it. It doesn't have to be awkward unless you make it awkward. When we took you on as Robin. It means guidance and it means making sure you're safe. Girls, guys, puberty, taxes, driving lessons-" Tim reached out any poked the small cleft dimple on Terry's chin. "Shaving. Absolutely everything. You can't do everything by yourself Terry. I'm here to help. I'm here for you."

Terry sighed and poked the tiny hairs that had started to grow on his chin and down by his ears. "I really do need to learn how to get rid of this. I tried shaving my armpits once and I've still got the scars. I've been putting it off."

"That's my boy. I'll buy you a nice razor and I'll get Dami to teach you when we get back. That does mean I'll have to let him grow out that awful beard though."

* * *

Raven's body sucked all noise and distraction from the room. Just to breathe the air was to breathe pure serenity and calmness. Her white cloak spread around her in a perfect circle. 

Terry thought he might have disrupted the careful equilibrium but Raven's hand beckoned him in when he turned to leave. 

He sat beside her, cross-legged and breathed deep. Just focusing on one thing. Clearing his mind completely never did work, no matter how much he practiced.

"Is there anything you want to meditate on specifically? I can help." Raven whispered after a long stretch of silence.

"I'm not really sure. How could you help?" Terry whispered back.

Raven took his hand and shook him gently to open his eyes. Tim warned that Raven could have a blank stare sometimes, and that Terry shouldn't be offended. But Terry saw deeper, she was simply at peace. But still holding back something dark. "My soul self can use your emotions to project and amplify them. So you could deal with a problem head on."

"So if I said I wanted to say goodbye to a loved one, you'd be able to help me see them?" Terry asked. He already knew the answer by the way Raven's smile rained sympathy on him.

She sighed and rubbed her thumb over his hand. "I can. But not alone. Is it truly what you want?"

"If I can do this, then I'll be able to move on properly. No regrets." Terry stuttered. The lump in his throat was already there at the thought of it.

Raven left and returned seconds later with Ms Martian. They sat in a circle, with grave expressions.

"M'gann's powers can help you see and create the scenario with memories. My soul self can use your emotions to make it real enough." Raven explained. "I've done it before with M'gann, but you must understand a few things. It is your imagination, it is a real as you create it. But it isn't permanent."

"I understand. I know he's gone. I just want to say goodbye, then I'll leave him to rest." Terry nodded. He knew he could resist the temptation to fall into it and never want to leave. The tragedy was a part of what made him into the current iteration of Terry, taking it away would be taking a piece of himself away too.

"I have to ask. Are you okay with me entering your mind? I'd be able to see everything in theory, although I'd be focusing on what you're focusing on." M'gann asked.

"Yeah. I'm ready."

"Lay down. Close your eyes and relax." Raven instructed. He laid on the mat and closed his eyes. He felt M'gann's fingers on either side of his head. "Focus only on what you want to see. Build the scenario. Build the person. Focus only on that. Then when you're ready say go."

Terry thought carefully. He remembered each detail to the very dust particles on the high up cabinets. He took a breath and readied himself.

"Go."

* * *

He let out the breath and opened his eyes. It was exactly how he remembered. His mom's flat, littered with toys and scruffy drawings. The sofa he lived on until he moved into the brownstone. Sun beamed through the blinds.

The little dark haired boy sat much too close to the TV. He was playing Terry's call of duty game and he was far better at it than an 8 year old should be. He enjoyed the violence more than he should too.

"Terry! You're back!" The game was paused and the little boy came and hugged Terry's waist.

It felt real. Terry bent down and cradled Matt's head. It smelled exactly like the baby shampoo he still used. He was warm, and excitable. He was real.

But then Terry remembered: he wasn't.

"Yeah I'm here." Terry said back. It came out choked and feeble.

"Mom and dad aren't arguing anymore. They're in the bedroom sorting out the last of his clothes." Matt trudged back to the xbox control and picked it up. His earlier burst of excitement had vanished.

"You know they love you right? You have to know that Matt. It was never your fault. I only made it worse by getting into trouble." Terry breathed in sharply and steadied himself. It was so much harder than he expected.

"Mom says your new friends aren't nice people. She was screaming it at dad a few days ago. She says they aren't good for you." Matt paused the game again and looked into him. His piercing eyes always had a way of looking into your soul.

"They weren't Matt. They weren't. But I've got new friends now, they're like another family to me. I wish you could've met them all. They helped me get back to being me. A proper brother." Terry squeezed his eyes and fell back against the couch.

"Why are you crying?" Matt asked gently. His heart of gold shining through.

"Because I'm an asshole. The last time I saw you I treated you like shit. I had been for months. You deserved a better brother than me." Terry sobbed into his hands. "I was so horrible to you."

"I thought I did something wrong." Matt muttered. The words hurt Terry even more than the day he first heard them, when he came home to steal some money from his mom's purse and overheard Matt crying to her.

"You did nothing wrong. You were perfect. Absolutely perfect. I'm sorry I couldn't be better for you, I'm sorry I couldn't set a better example. I'm so sorry Matt." Terry pulled the boy over and hugged him hard.

"I'm glad you're okay. Mom said your friends were dangerous." Matt whispered. "Wanna play call of duty with me?"

"Sorry Matt. But I've got to go." Terry gave a final squeeze and stood up.

"Do you have to?" Matt whined. "I like playing with you. Dad doesn't have much time anymore."

"I promise I'll see you soon." Terry felt the tears sting again, knowing he was lying to himself. "You know I love you right Matt? I never stopped."

"I love you too Terry. Please come home soon. We miss you."

"I know you did." Terry muttered to himself. He touched Matt's face just to experience it's warmth one last time. He saw how it was perfect and nothing like the last time he saw him. "I'm so sorry Matt. I'll never stop thinking about you and what you could've been."

Terry stood up to leave and didn't dare to look back. He grasped the front door handle and opened it. He closed his eyes and grappled with the hot coal stuck in his throat.

"I'm ready. Bring me back please."

The meditation room blinked into view. And the warm orange glow of Gotham's shirt summer was replaced with the white glow of the winter.

"I-" Terry started, he wiped his face and heaved in a long overdue breath. "I can't." He tried.

"Are you okay?" M'gann asked.

"I'm good. I just can't find a way to thank you both. Y-you don't know me and you've just given me the best thing anyone ever has." Terry noticed Raven's tears and remembered that she felt everything he did. "Thank you both so much."

"When Raven asked. I said yes immediately. This is being a Titan. Using my power to help." M'gann smiled and offered a hug. Terry took her offer immediately.

He simply touched Raven's hand the same way she did when he entered. "If there's anything you two need. I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing. Go and get some air, I can feel that you need space."

* * *

"Relax your grip a little." 

Terry did as he was told. He replanted his feet and peeked over at his hand. 

"Now when you release, just straighten your fingers out of the way of the string."

Terry breathed and let the string go. The arrow thudded into the target. Not far off center. 

"Nice shot." Mia squinted at how accurate it was. "Try again. Don't rush it."

Terry positioned his feet again and secured the nock onto the string. He held the bow up and quickly corrected his stance when he realised it was wrong. He drew the arrow back and drew in a breath. Then released both at the same time. 

The arrow whistled and hit the target inches away from his last. Just slightly further out of the circle. 

"Not bad at all." Mia clapped for a second and took the bow back. "You learn fast. An hour and a half, and most people would still be hitting the wall behind the target."

"Damian kinda drummed the whole aim thing into me. Hand eye coordination. All of that." Terry remarked. He took the glove off and walked up to the target to retrieve the arrows. "I know why he does it. If I can take people out from a distance then I don't have to risk myself up close."

"Don't take that as an insult. It's smart to teach you that first. Ollie and Connor did with me." Mia set the quiver and bow back onto the wall and held the door open for Terry. 

"It's a drag." Terry groaned. 

"Don't be a dick. Don't be that guy that wants to fight up close. Look what happened to Damian. The aim is to take criminals out and keep yourself safe, don't take your eye off that. Even Ollie knew that and he's not always the most sensible guy."

"I know. It's just a bit boring when I can't fight anyone on my level. A half trained dreg is a similar skill to me. If I tried to spar with any of you or other bats they'd cream me. It's not a challenge, it's a massacre." Terry grabbed a Zesti for himself and a water for Mia. 

"Well I can't help you with that. Just don't put yourself in harm's way. That's obviously your partners job." Mia scoffed. 

Terry had been making his rounds. Gently intruding on the Titans' daily activities and observing, joining in or being taught different lessons. Mia couldn't wait to get a bow in his hand and show him how to take a shot. 

He had already swam with Aquaman and his boyfriend. Meditated with Raven. He played a game of chess with Miguel, one that involved glowing purple pieces created by Miguel's mind. He did yoga with Jaime and was severely freaked out at Blue Beetle talking to himself.

Terry even enjoyed an hour's worth of video games with Bart. It turned out that being fast, could be too fast for a computer to handle sometimes. 

Mia and Terry both looked up at the blinking red light and alarm. He stood ready but she explained that it was an entrance alarm for teleportation. Sometimes he wondered how these Titans and bats knew what the different alarms meant when they all sounded the same to him. 

"Terry." Tim called. "Come here, there's someone you should meet."

Terry followed the voice and found Tim laughing and joking with a near 7 foot hunk of metal. Terry emphasised 'hunk' in his mind. 

"Terry, this is Victor. Vic this is the new Robin." Tim introduced the pair.

Terry shook the man's hand and thanked the universe that it wasn't as hard or cold as the metal looked.

"Sorry I've been away. The Justice League called just before I boomed you all here. Had to be an in and out job." Victor explained. "Jeez you look just like Tim did when he was your age. Victor held out his hand and made a 3d reconstruction of Tim's head. In pictures, Terry couldn't see the resemblance. In nearly real life, he could see what people were getting at. "Man, don't ever dye your hair from ginger to black. We'd all get flashbacks."

"That's scary." Terry spun the hologram and bent down so he was side by side with it. He naturally held up a peace sign and stuck his tongue out.

"Literally anything you need to know, you come to me." Victor offered.

"Thanks man. Everyone's so cool." Terry replied. He felt like all he was saying was thank you this trip.

"Oh Vic can you hook him up to the Titans network and chat room? The phone we gave him can handle it." Tim asked. He waved at Terry to give Cyborg his phone.

Victor's finger transformed into a small USB-C end and plugged it into Terry's phone. After a second or two he handed the phone back and smiled.

"Is that it?" Terry asked. He marvelled at how his phone had charged a few percent in the seconds Vic was plugged in.

"It doesn't take long. Now you've got access to the full Titans intranet. Which is all protected by me, Bruce and Babs are good, but they don't live inside the Internet like I do. It's even safer than the Justice League's, because certain things have to be public domain for them." Victor explained. "I also made your group chat name 'Baby Bird' with the hatching egg. Hope you don't mind."

Tim cackled and fist bumped Cyborg. Terry stood and waited for them to stop laughing.

"That's fine. Thanks." Terry muttered begrudgingly.

Another red alarm blared through the tower. But Tim's face had knitted into deep concern.

He bolted from the room and both Terry and Victor followed suit.

Starfire was already displaying the crisis on the TV.

"Amazoids. Junior Amazos." Terry remarked. An entire battalion on them were marching through the city towards the tower. A group of 5 full Amazo clones sowed destruction and carnage, no doubt to gain the Titan's attention.

"I got a plan." Terry spoke up over the TV. In the instant it formed in his head he forgot where he was and what the power dynamic was. He just wanted to rattle out the plan to impress everyone before it slipped away. 

"Victor you take Starfire, Blue Beetle, Raven, Solstice and Ms Martian to take on the full Amazos. Bart, Wallace you go ahead and draw the Amazoids to the bridge so they're out of the city. Mia you go to the perch halfway down the bridge and fire on them as they come. Aquaman and Wyynde you flank them from the water once they're at the bridge, the rest of us will fight head on. They're grouped into sixes and can only copy one Metahuman power. So I say we try to divide up and pair one non meta with meta. Me and Kon because I need extra protection. Cassie and Tim. Rose and Miguel. Gar can trample through them as a rhino or something."

Terry shocked himself back into reality and stared at the bewildered heroes. "What? I pay attention." He defended himself from their stares.

"You heard the man." Cassie shouted. "Everyone suit up."

The Titans rushed off and got changed in record times. The boom tube signalled that Victor had already gone and the whoosh of air meant the speedsters were gone too.

The rest gathered at the bridge and waited for the Amazoids to arrive. It was sure to be a short wait, but it felt like a lifetime. Terry quickly noticed that there was a pull in the air, like there was an invisible rope tying them together. It was Terry's first team up with anyone other than Damian. He couldn't deny that it felt better to know there was a whole gang of friends that had his back. 

"That was a pretty good plan you came up with." Cassie said with a smirk. "It's obvious that Tim's brain has been rubbing off on you. Don't get used to bossing them around. I'm still the leader."

"Sorry about that. I just got really excited because a random plan actually fell into place. Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes." Terry smiled and pulled his electrified birdarangs from his belt.

There was a streak of red and yellow in the distance and before they knew it. Bart and Wallace were standing before them.

"Team Alpha is engaged. One Amazo down already." Wallace informed them. "The pack began to run here when they caught sight of us. We've got seconds."

The bridge rumbled with the footsteps of 3 dozen Amazoids. They approached fast, with an unstoppable programmed determination. Terry gulped, he was a long way from Gotham and poorly trained henchmen. This was the realest deal. 

"Robin, I think you should say it." Cassie said behind a smirk.

"Really?"

"You have to do it at least once. Go on." Cassie drew her sword and braced to run.

Terry drew in a breath and tried not to giggle. This was his new best moment of his life. He couldn't believe what he was about to do.

"TITANS. TOGETHER!"

* * *

"In a shock attack, A group of Amazo androids and their mass manufactured counterparts: Amazoids were deployed into San Francisco. It seemed they had one goal: The Titans. A sharp change from their usual Justice League targets. 

The team that makes their home here took swift action and stopped the androids from doing any more damage to the city. Our news drones caught the entire battle on tape which we will show after we hear this statement from long time Titan: Solstice.

'We are glad that no one was hurt today and we will be fully funding the repairs to the city. We will work alongside the Justice League to investigate the motives behind this attack and who is responsible, because as we know professor Ivo is not the only person who makes Amazos. Not after his designs were stolen years back. The Titans may protect the world, but we protect our home most fiercely. We hope we made our city proud today, and we warn others who seek to spread fear and destruction. We handled androids designed to use our powers against us in mere minutes. You would not fare any better. We are coming.'

That was Solstice, who's been speaking on behalf of the Titans more and more in recent months. We'll now show you the entire battle caught by us, and only us."

* * *

"Yeah mom I'm fine. We were in the hotel across town." Terry reassured her. Once the battle was over Terry limped up to the living area and cursed that he had 37 missed calls from Mary. "We were in the spa. You love a spa mom. My back feels like jelly. It's great, but I didn't take my phone."

Tim bit his cheek so he didn't laugh and continued to lay out the medical supplies. Even though Terry had Kon as his protection, he still took a battering. 

"Yeah mom the Titans are awesome. No, I do not think I have a chance at getting Starfire's number. She's hundreds of years old you know?" Terry groaned and avoided the looks of all the other Titans judging him while they had their own injuries patched up.

Raven had passed out from exhaustion after healing too many Titans at once, so Terry had the old fashion treatment, because he was too busy texting his mom in his bedroom to calm her down. In a way he was glad, he had his first real battle wounds.

Exploding Amazoids apparently have a wide shrapnel spread. The shrapnel was also lucky enough to land just in the split of his armour. Tim warned there would be a good few pieces to remove after the first massive shard. He also warned that it may hurt a little. Just a little.

Tim grabbed the bottle of antiseptic solution and squirted it over the bleeding areas.

"Motherfucker!" Terry screeched. He writhed and fought to escape the spray. "Fucking, cunt faced, cock... shit! Ahhhh."

Terry was no longer happy that he got the old fashioned treatment.

"Terrance McGinnis, you watch your mouth. What happened?" Mary's voice was audible to the whole room.

The Titans had to cover their mouths. Conner was bursting to laugh across the room.

"Stubbed my toe mom. Metal desk. Hurts like a bitch." Terry covered. His voice was shaky. He tried his best to put on a brave face but the tears were rolling steadily and his free hand was crushing Damian's.

"Listen mom, I don't know how this is going to affect me seeing WayneTech. San Francisco is kinda on high alert right now. I'm going to ask Tim and Damian what's happening. This might end up being just a sightseeing trip." Terry panted for air as Tim went in for a second squirt of antiseptic. "Love you too mom. Bye."

Terry dropped the phone and squeezed Damian's hand tighter. "Ahhhh. Why isn't the injection working?" He screamed. 

"We couldn't give you morphine because you'd wouldn't have made it through the phone call." Tim removed the first chunk of splintered metal and dropped it into the dish with a clang. "If I give you a shot now, you'll lose the rest of today. You'll be out until God knows when tomorrow."

"Do it. I can't handle this." He begged. The needle thrust into his arm was barely registering as painful. It didn't hold a candle to the fire in his side.

His eyelids fluttered and struggled to stay open. As they closed, his hearing still echoed in his head. 

"Are you as proud of him as I am?" Tim asked with the most gentle of voices. 

"I am. I just wish he didn't get hurt." Damian's hand squeezing his was the last thing to register in Terry's brain.

* * *

Terry stirred and looked at the clock. He felt sluggish and weak. But he supposed losing a decent amount of blood and begging to be dosed up with morphine would do that to him. 

It was only 5am.

"Huh. Only 13 hours." He croaked. He shuffled up to get the water from the table beside him and realised his leggings were gone.

"Oh you're awake." Tim rubbed his own eyes and stretched away from the tiny seat he was sleeping in.

"Did you have to undress me? Terry chucked.

"Yeah the outer layer was soaked in Amazo oil. It stinks like old cars and burning. After today we are never mentioning the Robin boxers ever again. Damian has the same pair and I will have to bin them." Tim grimaced. 

"He's got good taste. They cost a bomb." Terry lifted his arms to slip into his t-shirt and cried out in pain. His side lit on fire again.

"Hold on." Tim rushed over and helped Terry slip his arms in. Then he pushed the collar over Terry's head for him. "You can put the joggers and that on. I'll make us a pot of tea."

Terry limped out of the medical bay and found Cassie helping Tim with the tea. He smiled the best he could manage and plopped down on the sofa. He cycled through the news on the TV and found the footage of the battle playing on nearly every channel. He squinted and barely caught a glimpse of himself using an Amazoid head as a boxing glove.

"I look badass." He looked up at Tim just in time to see him sigh. He took the teacup and sipped gratefully. "Thanks Tim."

"In all our years. You're the first one of us to use a robots head like that." Cassie laughed. "Saying that you're also the first person to be in on mine and Tim's little tea talks."

"If it helps I can close my eyes and go back to sleep instantly." Terry rubbed the dressing on his side and found relief in the tingle his sensitive skin had.

"You did good, kid. Better than we all did on our first Titans mission." Cassie pursed her lips to remember. "Donna had just died. And we were all kind of drifting about the tower not knowing why we were there. Explosions downtown. We rush in. Superboy busts a gas line instead of a water one. And Bart got shot through the knee by Deathstroke."

"That sucks." Terry frowned and wondered how this team of legend survived.

"Eh we got better. Come to think of it, that was when Ares started talking to me in mirrors."

"Good times." Tim raised his cup and clinked it off Cassie's. "Good times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually did make up amazoids. They appeared in like one comic back in the silver age and didn't really pop up again. So I had liberty in how I use them.
> 
> Imagine they look like actual amazo androids, but only about 5ft 5 and less beefy.


	91. Hot Off The Press

"Hey mom. Damian and Tim couldn't stay. They're dodging paparazzi right now."

"There's my little superstar." Mary hugged Terry much too tight and sent a bolt of pain through his side. Her embrace was so solid and long that Terry was forced to remember that just being in the same city as an android terror attack scared her to the core. It reminded him that no matter how much he wanted to tell her he was Robin, she was safer not knowing. For her own sanity.

"You saw my video?" Terry asked.

"Everyone's seen it honey. I've had all my colleagues sending your channel to me." Mary hugged his head to her shoulder one last time before going to the kitchen to compulsively make a cup of coffee like she would when anyone new entered the house.

"And they're saying..." Terry trailed off waiting for the inevitable disappointment. 

"Well it's definitely not Gianna or Fiona's cup of tea, but they said you're very good. I'm sure they're just being nice. I think you're crap." Mary stated candidly. 

"Mom!" 

Mary cracked and fell into fits of laughter. "Your face! Can't believe you fell for that. I'm your mom Terry. Even if I think it's crap it's my job to say it's great and make you your favourite meal when everyone else says it's the worst shit they've ever heard." 

"I hate you. I'm going to take my bags up." Terry hauled his case upstairs the best he could. Then checked his stitches to be sure they hadn't teared. 

When he returned, the cup was forced into his hand and he was made to sit. Mary eyed him with her omniscient scrutiny. 

"Did you know they were getting married?" She pressed. 

"No."

"Did you go?" 

"I was their witness."

Mary pulled a face. "You're 14 is that allowed?" 

"I don't think there's an age limit. Tim explained to me that they spent a lot of money to sweeten the deal. Their marriage licence was rushed through because they tipped well and they got married the next day real quick. When there's that much money and those names involved. I don't think the tiny formalities of the law apply." Terry shrugged. 

"You cried didn't you?" 

Terry blushed. "Absolutely bawled even though they didn't have vows."

Mary swung her legs up onto the couch and swiveled to face Terry. "Right, go back to the start. I wanna hear everything."

* * *

"Please explain yourselves." Bruce asked. He was clearly frustrated. His hand twisted the cane on the group fast enough to drill through the floor.

"Tt, we got married." Damian pouted. "I don't appreciate the scowl father. You did the same thing did you not?"

"A warning would've been nice. We've been dodging the press for days." Bruce grumbled.

"We're sorry about leaving you in the lurch. We've already called the Gazette for an exclusive." Tim added. He held Damian's good hand in solidarity.

Bruce held his arm out and waved the pair over. They embraced him on either side and he held them tight. "You know I love you both. I'm happy that you're happy." He closed his eyes and held both his sons head onto his shoulder.

"We're leaving in an hour for the interview. We'll sort this." Damian said, muffled by Bruce's jumper.

"Good because the entire family has had to say elsewhere. We're all laying low." Bruce chuckled.

* * *

Vicki's eyes were ablaze with journalistic fire and determination. Damian had seen it hundreds of times in Lois whenever he was at Jon's. However Vicki's was much more a primal desire to know. To know everything. She would chip away at a diamond with a cocktail stick just to get to the truth inside.

"Good afternoon Mr Drake. And the new Mr Drake." She stated bitterly.

"Afternoon Vicki." Damian charmed. His best, most suave and charming voice was polished and on display.

"Did you take Tim's name as a way of distancing yourself from the Wayne name?" She pressed. It was like a needle pressing the exact spots she wanted to bleed.

"Goodness Vicki. Right it with the good ones. Not gonna ask how the sex was?" Damian chuckled and leaned further into Tim. "I asked my father for his opinion. He said he was happy if I was happy. It didn't matter what name I took."

"So Bruce knew?" Vicki smiled to herself. "So why keep your relationship a secret? I have to ask how long you have been a couple. Were you seeing each other when Damian came out?"

"Since 2020. When I came back to Gotham. And Damian didn't come out, he was outed by the press. Big difference." Tim bit back a snarl and resumed his warm smile.

"Even so, all these years and you kept it a secret? Many people take the angle that two are in a way brothers. But we know better, you two as far as we can map out have hardly ever interacted before 2020." Vicki peeked her notes.

"On the contrary Vicki. We've never been a secret. When we were getting to know eachother I posted pictures of us. We went on very public dates. People even asked for selfies. Our house is in both our names. We dance every year at the Christmas Gala. We were pictured going to Paris a few years ago for Valentine's day. I'm surprised someone of your great journalistic integrity didn't write a piece." Damian smirked victoriously as Vicki reddened. It seems the nerve he wanted to rip out was well and truly discarded.

"Why not declare it. You're obviously very happy." Vicki's words were strained. She desperately wanted to say more.

"Because our family has never had a good experience with press and relationships. You personally dragged our name through the mud when Bruce married. You tried to claim we might've been covering up illegal activities when Dick was dating Barbara saying he was schmoozing up to the law. We value our privacy and I credit our relationships' success to the degree of privacy we keep. Even Drake manor is being fitted with security so we can be a family in peace." Tim smiled and squeezed Damian's hand. "But I suppose that's in the past now. Bruce is happy. Dick is happy and so are we. Perhaps the press moving forward would be more careful of the false information they receive and ask us first for statements rather than running articles riddled with lies."

"The arm?" Vicki asked, pointing at Damian's cast.

"Skiing. I'm as bad as father. I'll just exercise caution so I don't end up crippled like he did. Same slope actually, the one we own in Italy." Damian adjusted his sleeve so the penises weren't visible.

"The boy you were pictured with in San Francisco, who is he if you don't mind me asking?" Vicki branched off topic, knowing that anymore prying into their relationship would be futile.

"I used to work with his father. He died in the Joker attack last autumn. I took him under my wing and have been mentoring him at the company. Although when the Amazings or whatever they were attacked San Francisco we decided to cut our trip short and come home. We were going to show him around our facility there." Damian remarked. He played it cool and made himself look like a great person in the process. He'd usually shy away from self indulgence and promoting himself. But Terry did mean a lot to him, too much to play him as a nobody.

"How does your mom feel? We understand that you've had no contact since she sent you here. Do you have a message for her?" Vicki's voice did contain genuine sympathy. Both boys sensed this was a question Vicki took care with when asking. 

Damian almost let his mask slip. He was prepared for all the accusations and surgical strikes at the weak parts of themselves. But he wasn't prepared for Talia, not even the false version created by Bruce to sell a story on his absence. 

"I don't think my mother would be pleased that I'm gay. No other children to carry on the family." Damian chuckled. It came out bitter and slightly resentful. After all, he hadn't lied about Talia yet. "I have no message for my mother but to stay away and leave me to my happiness, she didn't provide much of that before. I doubt she would now."

Vicki nodded and left out whatever comment Damain and Tim expected. The restraint was appreciated, she had poked the one nerve she didn't really want to. "Well I thank you both for your time." Vicki turned off the audio recorder and collected her notes. The handshakes were polite and the smiles were forced. She couldn't get out of the door quick enough.

* * *

"You two are insane!" Lois laughed. She had facetimed Damian to congratulate them. "I had to re read it. You literally turned the interview onto Vicki Vale and she had to run the entire conversation."

"What can we say?" Tim shrugged. Jon passed by the camera and waved.

"You're dead. She'll find something embarrassing and make it into a scandal. If she wasn't trying hard before she is now. I don't mind people criticising the press, but she takes it personally. That's what makes her vicious." Lois sighed and giggled again.

"So what are you going to write about us?" Damian asked.

"I've actually finished it. Personally written by me. It's a tiny notice in the lifestyle section that says: The Daily Planet congratulates Tim and Damian Drake on their marriage. Then a little bit about your relationship. It's tiny. We're not making a thing about it." Lois waved it off. She smiled in the motherly way she would at Jon. Damian was always jealous of it, she could switch between hard nosed reporter and benevolent mother for Jon. He felt privileged to be on the receiving end of her love. 

"Thank you Lois. It means a lot." Damian smiled and eyed Jon's mountain of cereal he walked back in with.

"Anytime kiddo. Can't wait for the big wedding soon, you'll have to pop into the office before. Bye bye." She blew a kiss to the camera and panned it to Jon so he could say bye too even if it was muffled through mouthfuls of food.

The husbands plopped down on the sofa and breathed for a moment. In the rush of the day, they had barely stopped to breathe and just sit down. Duke had hugged them for a good 2 minutes before shouting that he didn't get invited. Dick had called and congratulated the pair, then Damian had to speak to Elainna for half an hour about kindergarten. Tim had been grilled by Cass then sent all the news articles she had found.

Tim was engrossed in the reading while Damian was being lectured on the difference between Elainna's blue giraffe Teddy and her pink unicorn. He particularly enjoyed the Gotham Echo's article named: 'All the cute couple moments from Tim and Damian Drake that we totally missed.'

Tim sighed again and shuffled around on the sofa so he was resting on Damian's shoulder. "We did it Dami."

Damian brushed Tim's hair behind his ears and kissed his forehead. "I know handsome. We did. It's such a relief."

"Shall we take some selfies and make it Instagram official. What's the world's most liked post again?" Tim asked evilly.

"That awful world record egg with about 55 million. Or is it Jimmy Olsen's selfie with Superman where they're eating tacos on the Daily Planet roof?" Damian recalled.

"Let's break the Internet" Tim pulled out his phone and saw that Jimmy's selfie had 62 million likes. 

Only Superman's bolstered gut could handle tacos. Tim thought a small man like Jimmy would've been in pain for days with stomach ache. 

He snuggled into Damian's shoulder and snapped a photo. He craned his neck up to kiss him and took another. He placed their wedding rings next to each other and snapped yet another.

He sent them to Damian because his account didn't have the volume of followers. Damian decided to post all 3 with the picture of their hands serving as the first in the set.

He captioned it: 'My Love @TimDrake457'


End file.
